Ave Maria
by cobra-2k
Summary: Reputable assassin Sora Hikari has never thought his prey beautiful before, but now that's it happened, there's no going back. With the help of his partners Cloud, Yuffie, and Larxene, can he retain his freedom, reputation, and maybe even win his love? S
1. Prologue

Notes: Yes, I have other things to be working on right now, but this just _had_ to be posted. I really enjoyed writing this, and I look forward to continuing it immensely. This is only a prologue.

And as for genre, I guess this is more Suspense/Action/Adventure/Horror/Romance/Angst, but I chose to make it Romance/Suspense, as those are the two atmospheres I see most prominently in the story's later chapters.

* * *

What, precisely, could you call their relationship?

It was not the first time Sora had pondered this question, and the thought always came to him, unbidden, the night just before he reached a landmark in a relationship. He had only met Riku a week ago, but they had gotten along very well. Very well, indeed.

Now, as Sora pressed the seventh floor button in the elevator of the fashionable apartment building that was Riku's home, Sora wondered exactly what they would be considered.

Not friends, certainly. After what they were going to do tonight, he would never again think of Riku as a friend. Friends were there for one another, and they helped ease pain in times of grief. Friends did _not_ do what Sora would be doing here.

But before tonight, before the Big Night, had they been friends? It wasn't as though Sora didn't have any: his roommate was his friend. Cloud had always been a friend to him, as well as a business partner. And, Sora considered, all of the people he'd "seen," they were friends, until that Big Night, which came with all of them, always within a week. Some people thought a week was too fast. Sora paid them no mind.

The elevator started up with a jolt, and the rumble of mechanized gears gave Sora a chance to think a lot about what he was about to do. Did he _want_ to do it? Oh, hell yes. It was fun, and it could help keep a roof over his head if he played his cards right. Would he do it if he wasn't being paid? Dear lord, no. If he did _that_, he'd be some kind of psycho.

Ah, said his mind, but didn't you just reflect on how fun it was?

Oh, and it was ever so much fun. The rush as fluid spilt, the danger of being caught...when so many sensations come together, it feels...oh, indescribable. And there were so _many_ ways it could be done! Just thinking about some of these got Sora excited and giddy sometimes, and he was determined to have tried everything before he died, every method ever invented, and every method he could devise on his own.

He knew Riku Katsuwa. He was a nice man, really. Twenty-four, so a year older than Sora was. His platinum blond hair was simply gorgeous, and his turquoise eyes must have made many girls melt in his presence. As for Sora, well, he was, for lack of a better word, plain. Messy brown hair, brown eyes, and a face that practically screamed "Please leave me alone." It had shocked Sora that Riku was so friendly, especially considering he knew what Riku did for a living, and having met others in the same business.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Sora walked out and saw that there was no one in the hallways. Reaching into his pocket, Sora took out the key Riku had given him and walked softly over to room 704, Riku's room, one of the suites. He put his key in and turned it, the lock giving way.

Over the week Sora had known Riku, he had, as was his habit, gotten to learn the other man's likes, dislikes, and most importantly, his schedule. The sun was setting, and he had learned that Riku always, _always_, watched the sunset from his balcony. Not that he could be blamed. Riku's apartment had an incredible view, and the sun could be seen on the horizon beyond the other tall buildings in the city.

Sure enough, the apartment was dimly lit, and Riku was standing out on his porch, leaning against the railing, with the balcony door opened behind him. Sora quietly walked over to him and stepped out onto the balcony with Riku.

For a second, Sora looked out at the sunset with the other man, captivated by its beauty. He softly placed his left hand on Riku's upper back.

He pushed forward, and at the same time brought his right hand down to Riku's legs, lifting them up and shoving Riku off of the balcony. A deep-voiced scream erupted from Riku's throat, and continued for about ten seconds before stopping, signaling that Sora had fulfilled his obligation and officially ended Riku Katsuwa.

Had they been friends? Sora reflected once more and arrived at the conclusion that it really didn't matter now. He loosened up his shoulders before walking quickly back to the elevator. Calls had been made: if anyone asked, he had come to the hotel with a prostitute. In a few hours time, Cloud would return to their apartment with the payment, which Sora believed had been set at three hundred thousand dollars. The money wasn't really too important to Sora. Oh, he loved the life of luxury he and Cloud led, but really, this was his one passion and love.

That, and, in a small allowance of self-indulgence, reading the headlines of the next morning's paper.

* * *

"Riku Katsuwa, age 24, was found dead on the street last evening outside his apartment home on Watson Street. Police say that the death looks like an accident, although it is possible that it was suicide. "We've had some suspicions about Katsuwa," remarked Officer Brady, "that were pretty much confirmed. We found quite a bit of cocaine in his apartment, and since we've had tip-offs that he'd been selling the stuff, we figure it might have been a drug-induced suicide." Other investigators say they aren't so sure that Katsuwa took his own life, and are of the opinion that rival drug-smugglers may have arranged a hit, but most of the police force remind them that drug hits are very rarely this subtle. Regardless of the circumstances regarding Riku Katsuwa's death, he leaves behind a hospital-ridden mother and a younger sister in foster care, and it is surmised by the police that most of his drug money went towards keeping his sister happy and paying for the heroin rehabilitation of their mother." 


	2. That Evening

Notes: This first chapter takes place less than an hour after the prologue. It goes into Sora's origins as a killer, and introduces the main plot.

* * *

That Evening

Their apartment was large, much larger than was really necessary for two people. The managers just thought that the tenants in room 206 were pretty well-off (as were at least half the other tenants) and were enjoying their privacy.

And the place was rather isolated, as apartments go: it was on a side of the hotel rarely visited by other guests; it had no windows; the hotel phones were only called by the staff, on the rare occasions when Sora needed a wake-up call.

It wasn't as opulent a place as they could afford. In fact, if Sora hadn't insisted on practicality, then Cloud would have bought their own mansion and decorated it in the most garish manner ever conceived of by man. As it stood, the apartment was large, elegantly decorated, and very comfortable.

Sora walked in, dead tired, and threw himself down on the couch, putting his legs up and kicking off his shoes. He had picked this particular couch out from the catalogue just last week, as Cloud had been unable to get the bloodstains out of their previous couch. That last job had earned Sora a gunshot wound in his arm, and though it wasn't serious (the bullet had miraculously gone clean through without hitting anything vital), he had bled profusely all over the nice leather couch, and so the next day Cloud had him pick out a black velvet couch to order.

Sora's wandering eyes caught sight of the large grandfather clock across the room. It proclaimed that it was only nine forty-five, and Sora's sighed inwardly. Peering into the kitchen, Sora saw an ice pick on the table, one that Cloud had been using last night but was too lazy to put back in the drawer. Slumber was starting to overtake him. Slowly, he closed his eyes and became lost in memory.

_Sora was still in a state of shock. Had that...really happened? Yes, there was no doubt. He could still feel the sensation of where Ansem had touched him, and could still feel the horror he had experienced in that dark confessional booth._

_Ansem hadn't said anything, but he also didn't apologize for his "mistake," but what shook Sora up the most was his own reaction. Why hadn't he fought? Why hadn't he said anything? Hell, why hadn't he run screaming to his mother the very next second?_

_He was only thirteen, and he wasn't too keen on having a girlfriend for at least another couple of years. The only person who had ever touched him there was...well, no one, except himself. _

_He had no business doing that. Who did Father Ansem think he was? Just because he was a priest, he thought he could...do that to people?_

_Is that what being a priest is? An excuse to do what you want? _

_Ansem had acted like he usually did, like the nicest man in the world, reminding the kids after the service to come to the choir that night, where, among other things, Sora's friend Selphie Tilmitt would be singing "Ave Maria."_

_He loved Ansem. All the kids did, because even though he was a priest, he wasn't, well, preachy. People his age still occasionally came to confession, and Ansem was very accepting and open-minded. Even Sora, when he had first had a sexual dream about a girl in his class, had expressed his fear of impurity to Ansem, and the man had said that it was only natural, and to accept dreams like these, but remember to always treat women with respect._

_In short, Ansem had been a man to be admired, looked up to, and confided in. But now?_

_There was no way it could have been an accident. It was too slow, too deliberate, and hadn't Ansem's breathing quickened as he did it? It was on purpose, without a doubt._

_So what to do? _

_If he told someone else, Ansem would get in trouble, always assuming people believed him. Had this happened to other kids, but their parents had thought they were lying? Had other people been...hurt like he had been?_

_But Sora didn't want Ansem to get in trouble. He wanted to settle things himself. Ansem had taken a trusting relationship between pastor and child and destroyed with an act of...evil. What other kind of act could possibly ruin a dynamic like theirs?_

_Ansem deserved to have that same evil visited upon him, of that Sora was certain. Resolved, Sora formulated a plan in his mind. _

_The choir was going very well. Father Ansem had opted to take a private seat in the wings of the church, and Sora saw him out of the corner of his eye as the rest of the room watched Selphie walk up on stage to loud applause._

_One last time, Sora thought about whether or not he was about to do the right thing. Then he saw what sealed Ansem's fate._

_Selphie had spotted Ansem, and Ansem had waved to her. Waved with a glint in his eye that Sora had never seen before. And Sora could easily read the momentary expression of intense fear on Selphie's face. That was it. Then it vanished, and Selphie turned nervously towards the rest of the congregation and began to sing as Sora started making his way inconspicuously towards the secluded spot where Ansem was cloistered._

"_Ave Maria_

_Gratia plena"_

_The crowd was focused entirely on Selphie, and Sora had no problem walking quietly to where Ansem was. He was surprised by how naturally it came to him, this art of moving without making noise. _

"_Maria, gratia plena_

_Maria, gratia plena"_

_Ansem was seated by the confessional booths, in a large wooden chair that was usually reserved for special guests. Sora crept up behind him and removed his weapon of revenge from his pocket: the ice pick that he had taken from his mother's kitchen. Slowly, surely, he was right behind Ansem, so close that he could see the priest's chest rise and fall as he drew breath._

"_Ave, ave dominus_

_Dominus tecum"_

_He gripped the ice pick tightly in his right hand and tensed his left hand as he reached for Ansem's head._

"_Benedicta tu in mulieribus_

_Et benedictus_

_Et benedictus frutus ventris"_

_Quick as he could, Sora grabbed Ansem's face, placing his left hand over the man's mouth and forcing his head back as he stabbed into his jaw with the ice pick. Driving deeper and deeper, Ansem did not struggle so much as twitch, and the warm blood bubbled and flowed out in a torrent onto Ansem's chest and Sora's hands. After a few seconds, the pick went deep enough to pierce the brain, and Ansem fell limp, his hot blood still gushing out onto his clothes and onto the floor._

"_Ventris tuae, Jesus"_

_Sora withdrew the sharp pick smoothly from the base of Ansem's skull, and stepped back. There was no screaming, so he could be sure that no one had seen him do it. Sora ducked inside the confessional booth and quickly turned his dark shirt inside out, feeling the still-warm blood dribble down his chest. His hands were still a deep crimson color, but that could be rectified._

_He moved quietly towards the front doors of the church. No one saw him leave, and since he had told his parents that he was feeling too sick to go to the choir tonight, no one had known he was there in the first place. Thanks to the lights in the church focused on Selphie, there was no way that she could see him from her place at the podium._

"_Ave, Maria."_

_Sora heard Selphie end her song and resisted the urge to wipe a tear from his eye. If he did that, his face would be smeared with blood._

"Hey."

Sora's eyes snapped open, and they instantly caught the clock. He had been asleep for only thirty minutes, and in that time, Cloud had returned, and was grinning at him.

"Congrats on a job perfectly done."

"As always," said Sora as he sat up on the couch. He saw that Cloud had come back with a suitcase, one that usually had a large amount of money in it, and two large cheese pizzas. Hardly an elegant dinner for a hired killer, but right after a successful job was when Sora allowed himself to let go a bit and eat what he wanted. Otherwise, he kept himself on a strict diet. "Client was happy?"

"Ecstatic," Cloud relied, setting down the pizzas on the coffee table. He opened one of them up and dazedly inhaled the aroma of the fresh pizza inside. "Three hundred fifty thousand dollars, all paid in cash. Think maybe we should get a new computer?"

"Maybe," said Sora, for once actually considering it. Their current one was nice, but a couple of years out of date. "Why did he throw in the extra fifty thousand?"

"He said that his contacts said that the police still think it's an accident, and his boys on the inside are pushing that story. This one pretty much can't go wrong." Cloud took a bite of his pizza and relished the hot taste of the tomato sauce on the roof of his mouth. Sora took a slice of pizza for himself as well.

"One week," he mused before taking a bite. "Why," he continued with his mouth full, "did the guy want Riku dead?"

Cloud shrugged. "He didn't say, I didn't ask. Who knows, maybe this was a drug hit. Either way, it doesn't matter anymore. For now, we can relax."

On cue, the phone rang as soon as that last syllable left Cloud's mouth. Both faces turned towards the special phone, seated on the mantle of the fireplace, always kept fully charged.

It meant there was a job. It could mean nothing else, because no one ever dialed that phone by accident. How could they, when the area code was #? It had taken a pretty penny to set up that line, but they decided it would be safer in the long run. It could only mean that there was another assignment for Sora Hikari.

Cloud crossed the room in a few strides and picked up the phone. "Speak."

"Yes."

"_How_ much?"

"I see. And the target?"

"CIA?"

Sora's eyes trailed away from his food at this. He had never had to get to anyone in really high security, but was always up for a challenge.

"Any guards?"

"Just one?"

"You have the fax number, I presume?"

"Send us the information. It will be done in seven days."

"That's right, seven days."

"It has never taken us longer."

"A CIA agent?" asked Sora once Cloud had hung up. Sora didn't like taking any calls, and only did so on the rare times when Cloud wasn't around. "With just one guard?"

"Guess she can't be too important, especially if they can make her vanish."

"You don't think," said Sora, eyeing Cloud, "that this might be a trap?"

"_Please_," muttered Cloud, rolling his eyes. "We're _just_ assassins. What does the CIA care if some drug runners or mayors are whacked?" The beeping of the fax machine prompted Cloud to exit the room, leaving Sora with his pizza, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Cloud returned with three papers in his hand. "Here she is, in all her splendor," he said as he tossed the papers on the couch. Sora picked them up as he chewed.

"Kairi Yamato. Twenty-four, same as me. Red hair, blue eyes. Why does she need to go?"

"Apparently, she likes to speak her mind a bit too much for the administration's liking, so they want her gone. Politics is dangerous."

Sora examined the papers in closer detail. Here was an official picture, where this Kairi was dressed in a neatly-pressed suit, here was one where she was relaxing and eating ice cream, here was one of her boarding a plane. All were in color, and Sora was struck by how pretty she was. In ways, she reminded him of Selphie, but more…mature.

"She's staying in the Sullivan Hotel, top floor. If I were you, I wouldn't shove her off, it might make people suspicious."

"No, no," Sora muttered, shaking his head absentmindedly. "Got to do something different, something I've never done before. Something…elaborate."

"Well, remember, seven days. And then we get the biggest paycheck you've ever seen."

"Just how much was it, anyway?"

Cloud grinned, then whispered the amount in Sora's ear. He was immediately happy that he wasn't eating anything at the time, because he would have choked if he had been. "Holy _shit!_"

"Yeah," agreed Cloud, still looking like the cat who had eaten the canary. "After this, we won't need to do anything for another few months."

"No hope of retirement, though."

"Well, not unless you plan to move to the suburbs, no." Cloud pushed Sora's face so that their eyes met. "Don't fuck around. If you wanted to leave, you would have done it a long time ago."

Sora smiled. "You bet. So, we start tomorrow?"

"Of course. Sleep well, Sora."

"Yeah, you too, Cloud."

As of tomorrow, Kairi Yamato had seven days to live, no matter how pretty she was.


	3. The First Day: Morning

Notes: Some friends of mine have pointed out some factual inaccuracies that I would like to address quickly. First off, technically, with current CSI technology and techniques, Sora could have been found out pretty easily as Ansem's killer. Also, a person who was molested at a young age is much more likely to develop a psychosexual disorder than to become a sociopath. For the sake of willing suspension of disbelief, ignore these facts. Thanks!

Also, PLEASE review more! Pretty please?

* * *

The First Day: Morning

Sora woke up at his usual time of five-thirty. He rose from his Spartan bed and grabbed a bath robe from his dresser as he walked soberly into his bathroom. He hadn't had a good night, as after an hour of slumber, he had rose in a panic, as he had forgotten to wear gloves and change shoes when he had killed Riku.

He had loudly awakened Cloud, who had angrily replied by telling Sora that they had already planned this in advance, and the client would be bribing the police to conveniently not investigate the possibility of murder, and that any footprints would be conveniently messed up by other people in the hotel.

And so Sora had gone back to bed reassured, but embarrassed that he had forgotten the plan he himself had made. It had taken him much longer to get to sleep, because he couldn't get his mind to settle: it was awash in images of the death of Kairi Yamato, some of them ritualistic, some were efficient and quick, some were so slow they were almost erotic. Eventually, though, he got to sleep, where he dreamed of Kairi's red hair being drenched in the darker red of her blood.

Now, though, his dreams were beginning to wash away, swirling down the drain along with his shower water. Some people viewed bathing or showering as a cleansing of the soul. Sora had always thought of it as being similar in that regard to putting on a new skin: no one would see the marks of his crimes on his face once it was washed. He recalled, though, how reluctant he was to wash Ansem's blood off of his hands.

He had enjoyed killing the man, he didn't deny it. The police had never found any fingerprints at the church, and Sora had (as had now become his habit) worn shoes he had never worn before when he had done the deed, shoes he then disposed of. Now, though, that he had that week, those seven days in which to know his targets, to gain their trust, he almost regretted having their blood on him. He enjoyed the feel of killing, he just didn't enjoy killing people he knew. He was able to push it out of his mind when the time came, though, he always had.

If he didn't wash away the blood, it would mark his face, Sora was sure of it. Then people wouldn't trust him as easily, and the next job would be much more difficult. This assignment with Kairi promised to be tough, and why make it harder? He would meet the challenge with his best effort, and in the end, Sora was certain he'd win. What was one CIA temp worker and a bodyguard against Sora Hikari?

After he finished showering, Sora dressed in his suit, a red one with a blue clip-on tie. It was comfortable, certainly more so than a tuxedo, and chances are Kairi would be dining someplace nice.

The suit was loose, as it had been specially designed for him, and Sora's discerning eye selected a small combat knife and a silenced nine millimeter pistol for the day. He didn't plan on getting the opportunity to kill Kairi today, but just in case the chance presented itself to him, he wasn't about to pass it up.

Not bothering to write Cloud a note explaining his absence, Sora left the apartment building and started to make his way towards Sullivan Hotel.

* * *

Kairi Yamato herself sat in the restaurant across the street from her hotel, sipping at a vanilla milkshake and occasionally glancing into the windows of the hotel lobby, smiling silently whenever she saw Roxas dashing about, doubtlessly worried sick about her.

Roxas had been Kairi's bodyguard for some time, and he had developed something of an infatuation with her, one that she didn't really return. Oh, she liked the man, certainly, and he was very handsome, but…well, what movie was that line from? "No one can tell you you're in love, you just know it." And she knew right now that she wasn't.

The milkshake was delicious. _It had better be good,_ she thought, _I paid five dollars for it._ The thick cream flowed through the straw into her mouth, bringing with it an icy cold that might make her head hurt if she took too much, too fast. Lowering the drink from her mouth, Kairi's eyes wandered to the door of the café, where a young man had just walked in, accompanied by the jingling of bells on the door.

Sora could barely believe his good fortune. Here he had decided to sit in the Marian Café to see if Kairi left, and here she was! She was much prettier in person than her photographs would have suggested, and she was also dressed casually, and Sora felt out of place in his black suit.

He took a seat in the booth to the right of Kairi and pretended to glance at the menu, already knowing what he would be ordering (the milkshakes here were expensive, but well worth it). He stole quick glances at Kairi, occasionally catching her eyes just leaving him. He smiled mentally. So she was shy, despite the "outgoing redhead" stereotype.

"Hey," a voice asked, and Sora didn't realize that he had spoken until Kairi turned to him, "is that your natural hair color?"

Kairi had the tact not to giggle, but _really_! What a tired line! "Yes, it's real. No dye could look this good."

The young man laughed. Kairi thought for a moment that he was about to turn back to his menu, but there was no way she would allow someone this cute to get away. "Do you want to sit down?"

He already was sitting, but the man got the message and sat down with her. "I'm Sora Akuma."

"Kairi Yamato." They shook hands and smiled. "Do you live around here?"

"Yes," he replied, "with my roommate in the Garland Hotel a few blocks north. You?"

"I'm staying over there," she pointed towards the Sullivan, "for a couple of weeks with a friend. You know, I just got here, would you mind showing me around town a little?"

_God, this is easy!_ Sora thought. "I'd love to!" He glanced out of the window and his eyes met another pair, one that was rather angry. "And would that be the friend you're staying with?"

Kairi was about to answer when the man in question burst through the door, obviously more than a little annoyed that she had given him the slip. "Oh, hi, Roxas. Sora, this is Roxas, the friend I told you about. Roxas, this is-"

"Sora, yes, I heard the name," said Roxas, annoyed. The man named Sora turned to face him, and for a moment, both were starstruck by how similar they looked. Then Roxas focused his attention back on Kairi. "Why didn't you tell me where you'd be?"

Kairi shrugged. "I guess I forgot. Sorry." Truth be told, even though she liked Roxas, his constant hovering over her was really getting on her nerves, and now he was behaving so rudely in front of someone they'd only just met! "Sora was going to show me around the city for a while, would you like to come?"

Roxas was easy to read, and Sora saw the expression of intense jealousy and irritation that flitted across Roxas' face, even if it did only last a fraction of a second. "No, thanks, I'll be fine here. You have your cell?"

Kairi brought it out of her pocket and waved it at him.

"Okay," Roxas frowned. "Have fun."

After he left, Sora turned to her with a smile on his face. "He seems nice," he said semi-sarcastically.

"We're not involved," Kairi responded, correctly interpreting Sora's smile. "And we're staying in separate rooms."

"Hey, it's none my business," Sora said, holding his hands up to avoid blame. "And just so you know, my roommate and I are just friends, too."

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Shall we go? The theater district is very pretty this year, and a lot of the shops are open."

"This early?" Kairi said in amazement. It was still only a little past eight in the morning: she had been incredulous when she saw the door to the Marian Café bearing a sign proclaiming it open for business.

"This city doesn't sleep. There's a lot happening in the darkness, maybe more than in the light," Sora said, and it was then that Kairi noticed how…smooth…his voice was. It was difficult to describe, but she had always thought of voices as having textures, and Sora's was that of freshly laundered satin. Meaning: really, really pretty.

Kairi took his hand and stood up without hesitation. "Which way is the theater?"

* * *

It took only about fifteen minutes to reach the theater district, during which Sora and Kairi made small talk about various things, including the reason Kairi was in the city. She told him that she worked for the pharmaceutical company Umbrella Incorporated, and they had transferred her to one of the company's other branches in the west of the country. She was only staying in the city temporarily, and then she needed to catch a plane to another city, where the company's new facility was located.

Sora, of course, knew this was a total lie, but fed Kairi his own. Namely, that he was a novelist who lived with his childhood friend Cloud Strife, who had directed a fairly successful film, and now mainly just invested and produced things. He made good choices, and so they could afford a somewhat luxurious lifestyle.

Sora didn't like lying to Kairi, and he couldn't precisely describe why: he had told much more blatantly untrue lies to much more discerning people. Maybe it was because he hadn't yet seen Kairi's faults, since the client had failed to elaborate. Essentially, he felt like he would be killing an innocent.

But then, is anyone really innocent? Sora had thought of this question often and hadn't yet reached a conclusion. But now wasn't the time for such introspective, philosophical bullshit: Kairi was talking.

"So, do you usually walk around in cafes wearing expensive suits?" she asked, smiling at him.

He managed a cheesy grin back at her, an expression he hadn't genuinely worn in a long time, and he was shocked at how easy it came. "This suit cost about a hundred dollars, and it was actually the only clean outfit I had. And I wasn't really planning on going to a cheap café this morning."

"Oh?" she asked, now intrigued. "So why did you go in?"

"Because," Sora replied, when he felt something he couldn't quite describe as he spoke, but he tried to ignore it. "Because I saw you there." That was no lie. She was his target.

She turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. For a moment, their eyes met, and then she laughed. "You're blushing!"

Sora's brow creased in confusion. Blushing? _Him?_ He hadn't blushed involuntarily in a very long time. Hell, he didn't bat eyelashes even around Yuffie, and she was about as subtle as a rhino in heat. "Well…you're good-looking."

That was it. Where was the little demon in his skull that was controlling him now? Because it needed to go, and it needed to go _fast_. He couldn't have this woman calling the police on him when he hadn't done anything yet! Much to his shock, Kairi laughed at this as well. "You really don't seem the type to be so open! I had kind of placed you as 'strong/silent,' like Roxas."

"Heh," was all Sora could summon up in response. He mentally stammered for a moment, and hated himself for forgetting all of the things he had planned to say. "Who is Roxas, anyway?"

Kairi's wondrous mood diminished somewhat. Who _was_ Roxas to her? "He's a good friend, but I don't think he sees it that way." Sora said nothing. "I think he loves me, but he can't bring himself to say it." Still nothing. "I really don't think of him that way, just as a clingy friend."

Sora nodded. "I see what you mean. He seemed a bit…protective, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I swear, sometimes he acts like he's my bodyguard or something." _Oh, how can I like this guy if I can't even tell him what I do?_

"Hm," Sora nodded again, thinking. "Maybe if you were involved with someone else, he would get the message. If he really loved you, he might just want to make sure you're happy."

Kairi laughed bitterly. "That's _one_ way to describe love, I guess. There are a bunch, you know."

"I don't."

Kairi looked at him strangely.

"Know, I mean. I really don't think about love at all."

"But, your roommate," she asked, "doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

Sora thought for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly _what_ Yuffie could be called, but it probably wasn't what society thought of as a "girlfriend." "He…no. No, he doesn't. Neither of us do, so we don't think or talk about it."

Sora was staring at the ground in front of him, and Kairi was gazing intensely at Sora and trying to see his eyes, so neither of them noticed the very tall man until he bumped into them, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

"Sorry. You all right?" the man asked, offering a steadying hand to Kairi as Sora dusted himself off.

"Fine," Kairi muttered, annoyed that their potential "moment" had been interrupted. Sora gave the man a thumbs-up, but said nothing. His eyes were full of confusion, though, and Kairi was surprised that she could read him.

The man excused himself and walked past quickly, but Sora's eyes didn't leave him until Kairi called his name and asked him what was wrong. "Oh," Sora said, coming out of his thought-trance, "that guy looked like someone I knew once."

"Oh," Kairi replied, not knowing what more she could say. "Say, um, tomorrow I'm going to a musical, and I was wondering if you knew where the Badminton Theater is."

"Yeah!" Sora said, glad to have an excuse to not pay attention to the near-twin of Ansem that had entered his life serendipitously. "It's this way, and there are some really neat clothing stores on that same block."

"Great!"

The white-haired man continued walking.


	4. The First Day: Afternoon

Notes: Yes, it's now in the right section, that of Sora/Kairi. You can call off your dogs. Never mind how hurt I was that I really only have three reviews, the other two being complaints, never mind my pain! (smashes head against desk) Sorry, sorry, other personality broke out. I am very thankful for the time you've given me, and I'm glad I'm able to interest you so. Not too much happens in this chapter, but it's pretty long. See, I think all of the days will be divided into Morning/Afternoon/Evening. I'm actually not sure if I'll be able to fit it all into seven days, so sometimes things may seem rushed. As always, ANY feedback is greatly appreciated.

* * *

The First Day: Afternoon

Anyone looking in on the scene would have thought it ludicrous. Cloud Strife was bustling about the kitchen, looking for all the world like a housewife as he hummed an upbeat tune to himself and thought aloud. It was a bad habit he had, but one that he had no real intention of breaking.

"We need more peanut butter, gotta remember that next time I'm out. There's that new steakhouse down the street, maybe I should get some _filet mignon_ for dinner, bet Sora would like that. If he comes home at all tonight. He sure seemed intent on doing something special for that girl."

Cloud paused in his pacing for a moment, a look of confusion coming over his face, even though no one was present to actually benefit from his facial expression. This was another effect of the vocalization, but Cloud wasn't even aware if its existence. "I wonder if he likes her? That would, like, suck. I mean, that Riku guy seemed friendly, but what if he gets too close to her? Nah, like that would ever happen. Maybe he'll make it look like she was raped and killed. Oh, or maybe he'll let Larxene help him and make one of those torture things she's always drawing!"

"What about Larxene?"

Cloud, finally awake from his stream of consciousness, stuck his head out of the kitchen to greet the visitor. Yuffie Kisaragi, the sixteen year old who was built like a pornstar, was there, bouncing on the new couch like it had been hers for years. "This new one's really good! It's so soft!"

"Good to see you too, Yuffie," Cloud said, even though he knew that it wouldn't prompt a greeting from Yuffie. She said what she wanted when she wanted, and generally politeness wasn't high on her list of priorities. For example, she might have knocked before coming in. "What brings you here?"

Yuffie leapt off of the couch, ran up to Cloud, and, before he could protest, started hanging off of his arm. "Can I use Sora's bed for about a half an hour?"

"Yuffie! I told you that was the _last time_!"

"But Cloud!" she begged, drawing out his name and pouting. "There was a half-day today, and I didn't get a chance to do it in school because there were exams, and Larxene won't be home for hours!"

"Then couldn't you just go _home_?" he asked in exasperation. He knew already that it was futile to argue, because Yuffie usually got her way, especially if Larxene was backing her.

"Because Larxene has the car and she knows that if I'm not at home, I'll be here!"

And, unsurprisingly, it looked like Yuffie would get her way today. Cloud sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, go ahead. Put down some towels or something though."

Yuffie cheered and kissed him on the cheek before thanking him and dashing off to Sora's bedroom. Cloud smiled in spite of himself. As…well, messed up as Yuffie could be at times, he couldn't help but like her. Her parents had kicked her out of the house when they found out that she was bisexual and sleeping with another girl (which was Larxene, and that relationship had lasted for three years now), and so she'd moved in with Larxene, who was the day manager of a playhouse.

Larxene didn't _do_ a whole lot as the day manager of the Badminton Theater, but she was well-paid, and so she could always let herself relax with Yuffie at the end of the day. Of course, that was only her _official_ job, and while the second one paid a lot more, it was sort of a "by request" occupation, and the requests didn't come terribly often. Sora was her main customer, but there was always a trade in illegal weapons even without assassins.

Sora had met Larxene first. His target happened to be in the process of raping her, and in a way, Sora had unwittingly saved her. To show her appreciation, Larxene helped him hide the body, and while Sora wasn't sure he needed the help, he had decided he liked the girl, and got to know her and Yuffie. When he introduced them to Cloud, Sora had mentioned beforehand that they were "sort of nymphomaniacal." After that meeting, Cloud had called Sora's warning "the grossest understatement of all history, ever."

Sexually, both girls were abnormal. Both of their families had abandoned them for it. Neither really cared too much. The girls got by, and to them, that was what counted.

Nevertheless, it _did_ sometimes annoy Cloud that, time after time, Yuffie came to _his_ house to masturbate instead of just going home and waiting for Larxene to come home. She was very loud, and tended to make a serious mess. Plus, he always felt weird whenever she insisted that they have sex, even though he knew Larxene didn't really mind (both because she had said so and because she had brought up the idea of a foursome with Sora), he felt like he was doing something like a disservice to both women. He did it anyway because they were both gorgeous and everyone involved always enjoyed themselves immensely, but there was still a part of his brain that told him that he shouldn't do it, that it wasn't right.

Sora had always told him that that particular part of the mind should be told to go fuck itself on every possible occasion. He went back to talking to himself as he moved his pacing to the living room. After a few minutes, he realized he could hear Yuffie shouting something, incoherent with bliss, and decided to turn on the television and look for a crappy movie. He loved to talk during bad movies, because he loved mocking them.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Kairi said, her hands gesturing wildly over her ravioli as she spoke, "your roommate Cloud sleeps with this girl pretty consistently, a girl who's already in a relationship with another girl, and yet you say he doesn't have a girlfriend?"

"I really don't see what's so hard about it," Sora replied, smiling. "They're basically friends that really like to have sex. Yuffie and Larxene are lovers. Yuffie and Larxene are friends with Cloud and myself."

"Friends that like to have sex?"

"Exactly."

There was a pause, before an important question. "Have _you_ ever had sex with either of them?"

Sora knew that this was an important question, and thought very quickly before he lied. "Once when Larxene and I were drunk one night, we went pretty far, but not all the way." Kairi visibly relaxed, and Sora knew that he had made a good choice. That was bull: he had slept with Larxene just last week.

"Why not, though? I mean, if you were both drunk."

He shrugged. "I guess we just didn't feel right with it. Haven't you ever been in a relationship which you could just tell wasn't going to work?"

She gave a short, somewhat bitter laugh. "Sometimes I think _all_ of my relationships have been like that."

Sensing that he should move away from this topic, Sora introduced a newer one that Kairi had mentioned earlier in the day. "You said you'd be seeing something at the Badminton tomorrow. What is it?"

"Oh," she seemed startled by the question. "Roxas got two tickets to see 'Phantom of the Opera.' Have you seen it?"

"A few years ago, yes," he answered. In truth, he _had_ seen it, many times, as a matter of fact. He almost knew the thing by heart. And he also knew that a chandelier fell from the center of the theater at the end of the first act. Some…collateral damage, maybe, but he could be certain that Miss Yamato would be dead after that. "It's a great show."

Sora was shocked. Completely shocked. He found that…how could this be? He _didn't want to kill Kairi_. She went on talking, and Sora found his attention wrenched to her, focusing on every word that came out of her mouth. "I've heard that the singing is just incredible! Oh, I was wondering, could I come see your apartment sometime? You said it wasn't too far from here, right?" Her eyes sparkled, and Sora's own locked onto hers and stubbornly refused to leave. "Unless the den of iniquity is a bit too dirty with girl-juices for me to see?"

He laughed, a real laugh. It wasn't even terribly funny, but he found himself laughing just because he thought it might make her laugh too, and it did. Just a short giggle, but that brief sound made Sora's heart skip a beat. _What's happening to me?_ "No, no, you can come over, but…" _Wait. She'll be dead by tomorrow evening, so if she comes over, she'll have to do it tonight._

_But you won't kill her._

_Preposterous! She's just some girl. I almost killed Larxene before she said she'd help me out. Kairi's a target, and I never miss a target._

_But you can't kill her._

_I can do anything. Anyone can. The only laws are those of physics. _

_But if you killed her, then she'd be dead._

_Well, yeah. That's how it works._

_If she died, then part of you would die too._

This inner dialogue took place in less than a second, but Sora had made his decision long before it had finished. "Yeah, you can come over tonight, if you want. You want anything special for dinner?"

_Is this a "last meal" sort of thing? _

_Maybe you just want to do something nice for her?_

"Oh, you don't need to anything special for me. What would you usually have?"

"Oh, probably a steak. Do you mind that?"

"Not at all."

She was about to say more, but a ring pierced the conversation, that of a cell phone playing a watered-down version of "Ave Maria." Sora grinned apologetically and took his phone of his pocket. "Sorry, this is probably Cloud."

"I don't mind," said Kairi, smiling back at him. Sora excused himself from the table. He went into the men's room, checked that no one else was there, and then flicked open his phone.

"You busy?" came the smooth and silky voice on the other end of the line. It was a voice that could make men bend down in worship, or women green with envy.

"Having lunch with a friend," Sora replied, knowing that Larxene would correctly interpret the euphemism, "so keep it brief, if you don't mind."

"Yuffie's over at your place with Cloud, and I think she'll be wanting to spend the night, on account of today was her last day of school."

"Which means you'll be wanting to stay over too."

"You don't miss a beat. As long as it's not too much trouble, yeah. And I've got some new merchandise I think you might really like. Interested?"

"Yeah…but I'm going to be having company over tonight, so save business until after she's left."

The shock was evident in Larxene's voice as she stuttered, "C…company? You mean…you mean the target? That's a first, isn't it? You inviting them to your place?"

"I guess it is," answered Sora. "But listen, try not to freak her out, okay?"  
"Hmph!" growled Larxene in mock hurt. "The nerve! But yeah, I'll behave. Anything I can do to help?"

"Actually," Sora thought for a second. Larxene ran the Badminton Theater. If she could seat Kairi properly (and he knew that she could, and would, if he asked) in position for a tragic accident. But…was that really what he wanted? After only knowing her for a day? "There is, but I'll tell you about it after my friend's gone for the night. You can help me make this one vanish."

"Deal. Unless, of course," Larxene purred seductively, "you'd like to add a little something _extra_ to spice it up?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Sora said passionlessly. Larxene was sexy as hell, there was no doubt about that, but he just didn't feel in the mood for, well, for her. Still, if sex would let her focus on her assignment a bit more, than they'd have sex, and, dammit, they'd enjoy it. "See you tonight. Tell Cloud to get steak."

"Will do."

Sora tucked his phone back into his pocket as he made his way back to the table where he and Kairi were sitting. He smiled and apologized for talking so long.

"It's okay," she said. "Who was it?"

"Larxene. She said that she and Yuffie would be having dinner at my place tonight. You mind? 'Cause if you do, we could go out." _The hell? Why am I nervous?_

_You don't want her to refuse. You're afraid._

"No, no, I'd like to meet them," Kairi responded, blocking out Sora's inner monologue.

_Wasn't there, at one instant, a point in time where I had this situation under control?_


	5. The First Day: Evening

Notes: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for their lovely comments. I would address people personally, but I'm not technically allowed. Anyway, this chapter is an important one, and so I feel I should include a warning.

**WARNING: The dream sequence (italisized) in this chapter contains an ephebophilial sex scene, preceded by a brief scene of necrophilia. You've been warned.**

Anyway, I love feedback.

* * *

The First Day: Evening

Sora opened the door to his apartment. He instantly regretted it.

"Hi, Yuffie," he said as though this happened every day (it was really only every other day or so) and tried to block the scene in the living room from Kairi's view long enough for Yuffie to put her top back on and for Cloud to stop laughing.

"Hey, Sora!" shouted Yuffie enthusiastically as she bounded off of Cloud's lap and over to Sora, enveloping him in a tight hug before noticing the other girl. "And who's this? My name's Yuffie Kisaragi! This is Cloud Strife. Will you be staying for dinner? Are you a friend of Sora's? Is your hair dyed?"

Kairi extended her hand warmly and tried to maintain eye contact with the ever-moving young girl. "My name is Kairi Yamato, and Sora invited over for dinner tonight, if it's all right."

"Fine by me," said Cloud, who had risen from the couch and advanced to shake the outstretched hand that Yuffie was incapable of staying still long enough to grasp. He grinned widely at Kairi and Sora. "You know, Sora, it's good to see you with a girl your own age. Hanging around Yuffie turns you into an old man before your time."

Yuffie punched him playfully before taking Kairi and leading her to the couch. "C'mon, I can't talk about girl stuff with those two! Where are you from? When did you get here?"

As Yuffie distracted Kairi with useless banter (or maybe she was just talking normally), Sora and Cloud conversed in hushed tones.

"Larxene will be coming over, too. Listen, _try_ not to scare her, okay?"

Cloud looked at his friend like he was insane. "You know, this is the first time a 'friend' has come over to our place. You nervous?"

"A bit," Sora replied truthfully. _But why?_ "You wanna take Yuffie to get the food?"

"Sure," Cloud agreed, holding his pleased smirk until Sora had turned away. _So he's finally found someone he likes._ Slowly, another thought hit him. _Oh, shit. Well, better leave them alone for now. Hope the couch doesn't get stained. _"Yuffie, let's go pick up dinner."

"Whaaat?" whined Yuffie. "But then when will I be able to explain the theory of relativity?"

"Um, later. C'mon."

"Okay!" She waved goodbye to Kairi and Sora, and darted out the door, leaving Cloud to hastily run after her. Kairi laughed as the door swung shut on its own weight.

"They seem like a lot of fun."

"Well, I'll say one thing, life's never boring." _When you kill people for a living, it rarely is._

"So, you going to show me around before those two get back?"

"There's not a whole lot to see, but yeah, follow me."

In truth, aside from the fact that the place was very clean and that they had a lot of semi-expensive furniture, there wasn't anything terribly unusual about Sora's home. Nevertheless, Kairi was completely engrossed, and took every opportunity to make Sora talk about some random picture or room, just so she could hear his voice.

Yuffie's voice fit her personality well. It was high, but not shrill. It had a lot of energy, and she couldn't possibly imagine it being a voice that had tasted sorrow or despair. It was a voice that could tire you out by listening to it, but it was a good kind of tired.

Cloud's was deep and sounded like someone who was already tired. He sounded like a man who wants to lie in luxury, but isn't truly permitted to do so. He seemed happy, but his eyes were shadowed with the look of someone who doesn't sleep as much as they should.

Kairi hadn't yet met Yuffie's lover, Larxene, but imagined that her voice would be similar to Yuffie's: energetic and eager.

Sora's though, was almost impossible to describe. It almost reminded her of Roxas, but she was pleased to find that it brought none of the irritation that she normally associated with Roxas. Sora's voice was that of someone who was not tired, but exhausted. Someone who was unsure of the future, who relied on the past. Kairi's instinct for reading people by their voices had rarely been far off the mark, and she reflected on what she had been told about Sora Hikari before coming to this city, what she had expected him to be like, and what she thought of him now.

While thinking of all this, she kept her attention clearly focused on what Sora was talking about. It wasn't as though it was something important (it was, in fact, the story of how Cloud had gotten superbly drunk one night and jabbed a screwdriver through his pillow, convinced it was a panda), but something about him commanded her attention all the same.

Was it his eyes? His face? His sublime voice? Or what she could only refer to as an aura? Whatever it was, Kairi was sure that she liked being in its presence.

"Dinner!"

Sora bowed and offered her his arm, which she laughed and took. They strode to the dining room, where Cloud and a blond girl were setting up silverware, and Yuffie was drinking a suspicious liquid heartily and talking _ad nauseum_.

"And then they made me their chief," she concluded, setting down her empty glass. She turned to greet the newcomers. "Hi, guys! Kairi, this is Larxene. Larxene, this is Sora's friend Kairi."

Since Sora had mentioned Larxene's sexual preference earlier that day, it took Kairi a decent amount of willpower to avoid switching sides then and there. Larxene was obviously older than Yuffie by a few years, but she carried herself with a perfect grace that almost no one in this day and age has. She walked over to Yuffie and shook her hand, saying that it was lovely to meet her. Kairi nodded and returned the sentiment, unable to keep her eyes off the other woman. _No wonder Sora almost slept with her!_

"Well, let's eat," said Cloud. The words were barely out of his mouth before Yuffie leapt to a piece of the meat and started sawing at it furiously, a manic gleam in her eyes as she just barely managed to keep from drooling.

Larxene looked at her like an older sister surveying her young protégé. "Yuffie, mind your manners." Yuffie kept on sawing madly, but slowed down a bit. Larxene smiled pleasantly and shrugged. "Close enough. Come, sit."

Sora offered Kairi a chair before he sat down, which made Cloud chuckle. "Odd. He's never behaved like a real gentleman before."

"Stuff it," Sora growled at him. He was glad that he was facing away from Kairi, because at that moment he was blushing furiously, because he realized that Cloud was right: he _hadn't_ ever really been courteous before, at least not without an ulterior motive to back it up.

_Why is Sora so nice all of a sudden? Why doesn't he shoot her now?_ wondered Cloud as he started eating, chatting idly with Sora, though he was having difficulty as Sora's gaze kept wandering to Kairi. _What exactly is he planning?_

_Cloud mentioned that Sora wanted something elaborate for this girl,_ thought Larxene as she spoke quietly with Kairi across the table. The redhead didn't say much, because she seemed a bit engrossed with what Sora was saying. _Is he acting? Or is he really…attracted to her? What if it's more than that? What if he's…falling…for her?_

_Damn, this steak is good,_ thought Yuffie as she shoveled the meat into her mouth, occasionally bursting into the conversation with an optimistic remark about when Kairi could come over again. She really wanted to get to know this girl. _I wonder if she likes Sora…heh, I'd love to see the look on her face a week from now!_

Sora looked peaceful. He spoke happily. He smiled widely. Yet he was far from it in reality. His eyes kept wandering to Kairi at his side, to her fiery red hair. To her loose t-shirt, to the way her hair fell across her shoulders. His fingers kept wandering to the gun in his pocket. _She's right here. No one knew she would be here._

_Why aren't I doing it? _

Sweat fell from his brow onto his lap as he forked a piece of filet mignon into his mouth and relished the taste. Larxene made some sexual innuendo about Yuffie's love of steak, which Cloud and Kairi laughed at.

That wonderful laugh.

_Why aren't I killing her?_

He forced himself to laugh to, not too late. It was hard because, well, _it_ was hard. _How can she do this to me? _Not when Yuffie had stripped and straddled him, this hadn't happened until he wanted it to. Not when Larxene came onto him when they'd first met. Only now, only her.

_WHY AREN'T I TAKING OUT MY GUN? WHY AREN'T I DASHING HER HEAD IN WITH IT? WHY AREN'T I ENJOYING HER CRYING IN AGONY? WHY AREN'T I STICKING THE BARREL IN HER CUNT AND LAUGHING AS I PULL THE TRIGGER?_

_WHY AREN'T I KILLING HER?_

Sora excused himself and stood up from the table. He walked into the kitchen and made sure no one was looking at him before sticking his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with me?" he whispered to himself. No reply came forward, and he hadn't really expected one anyway. He knew, though, that there was a way. There always was.

He walked back into the dining room. The table was arranged in such a way that he and Kairi were facing away from the kitchen, and everyone else was facing them. So Larxene, Cloud, and Yuffie saw him there, but said nothing to acknowledge his presence. They sensed what he was about to do.

Sora reached into his suit shirt and withdrew the pistol he had fitted with a silencer earlier that day and stuck into the lining of the suit. He clicked the safety off and aimed it directly at the back of Kairi's head.

_That's one way._

Sora breathed deeply.

Kairi laughed again.

_One way._

Sora lowered the gun and walked back into the kitchen. He could hear Cloud and Larxene try to pick up the conversation again: they had lost interest for a split second, expecting their dinner to be suddenly covered in gore. Yuffie was doubtless disappointed. She loved stories of his work, and had always wanted to be there when he killed someone.

In the kitchen, Sora unloaded the pistol magazine and tossed it in the garbage can, moving a banana peel to cover it. If he went back into that room with live ammo, he'd do it. He knew he would. His voice came to his head again, unbidden, before a torrential fury, and now an almost pathetic whimpering.

_Why aren't I killing her?_

Then another voice, a simpler one, one he hadn't paid attention to since that fateful day of the choir.

_Because you love her._

* * *

The night brought no rest to Sora. He tossed and turned for hours after lying down for the night. He had walked Kairi home and thanked her for coming over. She said that she had had a lovely time and couldn't wait to see him again. She gave him her cell number and told him to call the next evening. All that he could take.

But then she kissed him.

It wasn't much of a kiss. A soft, almost timid, peck on his lips, lips that had felt much more urgent kisses before. It had thrilled him. It had amazed him. It had horrified him. _How can I hurt someone like this? Could I really…?_

He had no way of knowing that Kairi's thoughts were almost identical.

But the fear the kiss had brought was not only Sora's fear of harming Kairi, but his memory of the first time he had witnessed real depravity in another human being. He had thought of himself as possibly insane, a pariah for society if there ever was one. But that was before he had let Yuffie see one of his victims for the first (and, he was always hoping, last) time. His dreams brought back that night in vivid detail.

* * *

_Sora smirked as he tucked the hypodermic syringe back into his coat pocket. "It's almost too easy."_

_"What happened?" asked Yuffie, her face a mask of childish glee and fascination. She had volunteered to act like a prostitute in order to lure the target into the alley, where Sora stuck a needle into his neck. "What was in the needle?"_

_"Air."_

_The fourteen year old's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Air?"_

_"Injection of oxygen into the bloodstream can cause rapid stroke or heart failure." He smiled at her. "Cool, eh?"_

_"Yeah!" Yuffie agreed, nodding enthusiastically. Sora moved towards the body, but Yuffie placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked at her oddly until she explained hesitantly. "I was wondering…can I have the body?"_

_"What do you mean, 'have'?"_

_She smiled a bit, and advanced towards the dead man. "If he died like this, then shouldn't it still be like that?"_

_Naturally, Sora stared blankly at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"_

_"If he was hard when he died, then shouldn't he still be ready now?"_

_For once, Sora didn't have a ready answer for her. "I…don't really know."_

_"Let's check!"_

_And before Sora could stop her, Yuffie had undone the man's pants and pulled out his penis, which was indeed still erect. "Aw, he's not that big."_

_"Yuffie, what are you-"_

_"Please, Sora!" she fixed him with a pleading look while stroking the organ with her left hand. "I've always wanted to do this! Please?"_

_"Well," Sora rubbed his temples for a moment: he could feel a headache coming on. "Fine. But I doubt it'll work."_

_"Yes!"_

_Yuffie stopped stroking the man's penis and quickly yanked off her pants and underwear. She laid the body down on the floor and kneeled over it, guiding the penis into her womanhood. The heat was rapidly vanishing into the night air, and she gasped as the cooling flesh slipped deep within her hot folds._

_Sora rolled his eyes and left Yuffie to her business. He could hear the excitement in her voice at first, as a steady stream of blaspheme spewed from her mouth to the dead man's ears. After about a minute, though, she started to sound impatient. After a few more seconds, she whined to Sora._

_"Ah, it's not as cool as I thought it would be. He went soft."_

_"Well, lack of blood flow tends to do that," Sora replied. "You know, what with blood being needed for an erection and all."_

_"Sora, can we fuck now?"_

_"Huh?"_

_Sora hadn't expected Yuffie to want to sleep with a dead body, but he was expecting her to want to sleep with him even less. "But, Larxene-"_

_"Larxene doesn't mind!" Yuffie hugged him tightly, her hard nipples poking into his chest. "She wants you to join us both one night soon! And Cloud can come too!"_

_Sora looked down into the girl's eyes. She was so eager, and he could feel her arousal pressing up against his crotch. He sighed mentally and let down his defenses a bit, allowing his penis to get hard. "All right. Lie down."_

_Yuffie's eyes glowed with excitement and lay on the floor, stripping off her tight shirt and bra as she did. She caressed her small breasts and smiled up at him. "Come on, Sora. Don't make me wait!"_

_Sora obligingly removed his clothes as quickly as he could and laid down on top of the younger girl, leading his penis into Yuffie's slit slowly, listening to her moan happily and call out his name. He smiled in the darkness and slowly went deeper, plunging in and out of her tight hole. _

_"Dammit, Sora, go faster!" Yuffie managed to gasp out, moving her hands around his lower waist, pushing him deeper inwards when he thrust forward. "It feels so good, Sora!"_

_Sora obliged, and concentrated deeply on the feel of Yuffie's hot, wet flesh against his privates. Now that he was going faster, he could distinctly feel his scrotum banging against Yuffie's crotch. He tried to support himself with just his right hand, and used his left to massage Yuffie's buttocks. She moved her torso upwards to meet him with each thrust, and Sora could feel her cervix touching the head of his penis each time he went into her._

_Yuffie's breath was coming in short gasps now, and she bent her legs around Sora's waist, pulling him in ever deeper. "Sora…Sora…oh god, Sora, you're so good, I'm gonna come!"_

_Sora was beginning to breath harder now, and he could feel Yuffie flex her muscles rhythmically, making her pussy even tighter than it usually was. He could feel that his own orgasm was soon to be upon, and made a show of calling Yuffie's name and breathing harder than he really had to._

_"Oh god, Sora," Yuffie cried out, "do it, come all over me!"_

_Sora remembered at the last moment that they weren't using any protection, and he didn't know if Yuffie was taking contraceptives or not, and so he pulled out and felt his penis twitch as his warm semen shot out in five ropes onto Yuffie's stomach and breasts, with the last one going further, splashing onto her face. _

_Neither spoke for a little while, both trying hard to catch their breath as they stared into one another's eyes. _

_"That was fun," Sora said finally._

_"Yeah," Yuffie agreed. "Yeah, it was."_

_Sora stood up and offered his hand to Yuffie. "Shall we?"_

* * *

That had been two years ago, and the memory came perfectly to Sora in his dreams. After waking in the middle of the night, he realized that if this was the effect she would be having on him, Kairi seriously needed to go. 


	6. The Second Day: Morning

Notes: And thus ends the first day of seven! I'd like to thank everyone for their support and kind words. I also have a very easy contest in this chapter. The first reviewer who can tell me what anime/manga the gun that Larxene shows Sora is from gets to have a cameo roll in a few chapters (most likely as a victim, but a cameo's a cameo)! Regardless, I await your criticism with bated breath. Happy reading.

* * *

The Second Day: Morning

"And here's what I was telling you about yesterday," Larxene said as she opened her briefcase so Sora could examine its contents. They had both woken up slightly later than usual, due to a particularly exhausting lovemaking session the previous night. Sora hated to sleep aroused, and so had done his best to please Larxene; the plan backfired on him, though, as his mind replaced the blonde's face with Kairi's at every moment.

Sora hefted the large pistol out of Larxene's case, examining the barrel and slide. "Kinda huge, don't you think?"

Larxene smiled and began her pitch. "It's a Jackal." Seeing Sora's startled expression, she laughed pleasantly. "I _said_ it was something special. We managed to get our hands on one of the five hundred Jackals in the world, and I thought I'd let you make an offer before anyone else did."

Sora looked closer at the gun's slide, and wondered at the inscription: "Jesus Christ Is In Heaven Now." The entire thing was over a foot long. "It's nice, I'll give you that."

"It uses armor-piercing, explosive, thirteen millimeter bullets. Six fit in one magazine, but one's enough to take down an elephant at long range, so don't expect to reload too much."

"Those rounds must be pricey," Sora replied, gripping the gun with both hands and aiming it around the room. It was almost ridiculously heavy, and he wondered if shooting the thing was safe, or even possible. "I've heard of hunting rifles with hundred-dollar bullets."

Larxene's smile faltered a bit. It was impossible to fast-talk Sora. "Magazines are six hundred each. The gun itself is eighty thousand."

"Let me ask you something, Larxene," Sora said as he lazily spun the pistol around his fingers. "This thing is impossible to silence. It's more expensive than a nitro rifle. It's strong enough to tear apart a car. It's also strong enough to blow off my hands if I fired it. Why exactly would I need it?"

Larxene shrugged. "I didn't think you'd _use_ it, just that it's a collector's thing, and I thought you might like it. You realize that everyone else pays double what you do."

"Gotta love that 'preferred customer status,'" Sora muttered, and grinned as he put the gun neatly back into the case. "I'll take it, and two magazines. I'll ask Cloud to write you a check later."

"Thanks, Sora!" she said as she hugged him. Sora and Cloud were Larxene's main source of income, and she hated dealing with any other customers, because, she had explained, they were almost all arrogant junkies who thought that just because they wore gold that somehow entitled them to power. "Any customization requests?"

"Yes, actually," Sora passed the briefcase back to her. "The inscription. Can you get it changed?"

"Sure. What to?"

Sora pretended to think before answering. "'Yamato.'"

Larxene fixed him with a worried glance. "Isn't that the target's-"

"Yes." Sora pondered the words. _The target._ He'd only known her for a day, and already, she was "Kairi" to him, not "the target" or "the objective." "I don't want to forget her after today."

"Today!" Larxene started. "You're doing it today?"

"Yeah," Sora had come to the conclusion earlier in the morning that the sooner he did it, the better. And he'd decided to go with his first plan. "She's going to see 'Phantom' this evening. I need you to make sure she sits right under the chandelier."

"_What?_" Now she was glaring at him. "That thing's not cheap, you know, so this better work."

"Trust me, once we get this paycheck, you can get a nicer chandelier. Hell, you could get _ten_ nice chandeliers and we could still sit on our lazy asses for the rest of the year."

"Hey, Sora."

He looked over at her, sure that this was something important. Larxene almost never lowered her voice unless she was thinking of something very delicate, and this was definitely one of those times. The normally ruthless eyes softened to show genuine compassion. "Are you thinking of…retiring?"

Sora met her eyes as best he could before responding. The thought had of course crossed his mind, as had another one.

_Fake it!_ it had shouted at him. _Fake it!_

_Fake her death, fake yours! Leave! Take half the money and leave! Go somewhere no one will ever disturb you!_

_Is that what it comes to,_ said another part, _running away from my duty? Not finishing this last job? Letting Sora Hikari die?_

"No," he replied, his voice full of steel that he didn't really feel. "No way." He gestured to the case containing the firearm. "This is what I do, what I was born to do."

* * *

Roxas woke up pissed. It wasn't much of a shock, as he had gone to bed pissed, and, if such a thing was possible, he slept pissed as well. But slumber had done nothing to alleviate his irritation with Kairi at staying out so late with this…_Hikari._

And, of course, Kairi would be going out to the theater tonight. Chances are, since Hikari knew that, he would meet her as she was leaving, and Roxas would have to spend another night worrying about her. Worrying about her safety, worrying about how she felt about him, worrying about whether or not she actually liked this Hikari person more than him. She hadn't said terribly much about him, but Roxas knew all that he needed to know.

Naturally, what he knew only made him worry about Kairi spending time with Hikari more. Would you let your kid play with matches?

A knock at his door sounded, and he yelled to come in, knowing it was Kairi.

She didn't smile as she walked in, and for a brief instant, Roxas hated her for that. She used to smile and laugh with him all the time, but more and more frequently, his attempts at conversation had been ignored, and his own bright smiles unreturned. Her happiness used to bring so much joy to Roxas…but now she seemed to be edging closer and closer to depression with each passing day.

"Morning," she said distractedly as she walked over to a chest on the other side of the room. "We should probably do some recon today, see who we can see."

Roxas nodded his agreement, ogling her as she bent over to open the chest. His CIA training never deserted him, though, and he proved it by catching a sheathed switchblade that Kairi absentmindedly tossed to him before picking one out for herself. "You think he'll turn up today?"

"I saw him yesterday, I'm sure he'll be around again."

"You _saw_ him?" This was news to Roxas. "When you were with Hikari?"

"When I was with Sora, yeah." Kairi didn't seem very put off, and so Roxas decided not to push a matter she clearly wasn't interested in. Still, her insistence on using Hikari's first name annoyed Roxas, but he tried not to let it show.

"What did he look like?"

"Exactly how he was described. I think it's kind of hard for him to disguise himself."

"Hm."

There was silence as they both concealed their knives as best they could. Communication between the two had deteriorated to the point where it had almost completely broken down, and small talk didn't come easily. Sometimes, it was hard for Roxas to even meet her eyes. He couldn't help but notice, though, that Kairi never attempted to break the silence herself. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to just not say anything for too long.

"Where should we go while we wait for the show to start?"

Kairi shrugged. Her pointed lack of a spoken response hit Roxas' heart like a dead penguin being used as a bludgeon.

"Can we stop at church?"

"Fine," she said as she turned to the door, and Roxas followed.

* * *

"So," said Cloud over a cup of tea. "Yamato."

"Yamato," Sora agreed, forcing himself not to refer to her by her first name.

"Nice," Cloud commented, taking a sip of his tea and watching his partner for any reactions.

"Very nice," was all Sora said as he blew on his tea, the steam coming off it in thick wisps which dissolved before they went very far.

"Smart," Cloud continued. "Funny. Pretty. Sorta girl anyone would like."

"Yeah," Sora responded wistfully. Cloud heard the longing in his voice and correctly interpreted it as such.

"You thinking of backing out?"

"No!" Sora shouted unexpectedly, an incredibly angry look on his face as he glared at Cloud. "Why does everyone _think_ that!"

Cloud set down his tea and raised his hands in the air, a sign of regret. "Sorry, sorry, just wondering. It's not like this is the only job we'll ever have again, though."

Sora calmed down a bit and took a sip of tea, savoring the taste as it scalded his tongue and throat. "I've never missed a mark before, and I'm not about to start."

With each passing second, that odious little voice in his head, the one that spoke of love, was being pushed further and further away from his conscious line of thought. He had almost forgotten it when Cloud spoke next. "But don't you want her?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "I have Yuffie and Larxene. What more could I possibly 'want,' when I'm content to have things most would kill for?" _And I _did_ kill for them, if you think about it._

"I don't mean sexually _wanting_ her," Cloud rambled on, "I mean, do you want to spend more time with her, could you picture yourself living with her?"

_Here's the windup,_ thought Sora.

"Do you think you might-"

_And the pitch._

"-love her?"

Sora laughed. It was a bitter laugh, probably more so than he'd intended, and Cloud cringed when he heard it. After regaining control of himself, Sora answered the question with another question: "This isn't like you at all! Who put you up to this?"

"Yuffie," said Cloud simply, not feeling like trying to lie. "She was going on and on about how you'd fallen in love with Yamato, and that's why you didn't shoot her."

"I didn't want to ruin dinner." This was a lie and Cloud knew it, and Sora knew that Cloud knew, because the denial lacked any real conviction. Cloud continued.

"I didn't think so at first, but then I started thinking about it. You stared at her almost incessantly, you were really polite, you blushed a bit whenever she looked at you, you were like a different person. Someone…" he struggled for the word.

"Simpler?" Sora offered.

"Cleaner," Cloud finished.

Their eyes met, and Cloud was certain that the expression in Sora's eyes now had never been present in them before, at least never when he'd been around. Was it…regret?

"I haven't been clean in a long time," Sora said, lowering his eyes slightly.

"And that's _another_ thing!" Cloud cried, anger for some reason overtaking him. "Since when are _you_ so damn introspective? A week ago, if I'd said you loved Riku, you would have cackled and punched me in the arm. Whenever we talked about him, you were carefree, because you _knew_ you'd kill him, you were just playing with him. _Now_ look at you! Getting bent out of shape because of a woman!"

Sora tried hard to think of what Cloud wanted as an answer to this. He finally grinned and offered a cheery, "Out of shape? So you're saying I'm fat?"

It worked. Cloud grinned too, and they both laughed heartily together. "I'm sorry, Sora, it's just that you seem to really like her, and, well, I don't want you getting hurt."

"What, are we thirteen years old?" Sora bantered. "So vulnerable that asking a girl to dance takes every last bit of willpower?"

Cloud laughed again, relieved to have a bit of the old Sora back. _The 'old Sora?'_ he thought. _This just started a day ago!_

_What'll happen before the week's up?_


	7. The Second Day: Afternoon

The Second Day: Afternoon

Roxas knelt respectfully once he'd got inside the church. He noticed that Kairi wasn't with him, but he was used to her skepticism. Truth be told, his devotion seemed to be something that had always annoyed her, yet he thought she would come around eventually.

To his shock, though, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Kairi approaching a confessional booth to his left. He gaped for a moment, then heard a hymn beginning, which he joined reverently.

"_Ieyui_

_Nobomenu_

_Renmiri_

_Yojuyogo_

_Hasatekanae_

_Kutamae"_

"That's pretty," said a voice to his left, one that he knew as belonging to a person he had only met once, but hated instinctively. "What's it mean?"

Roxas didn't turn to face Hikari, but responded as coolly as he could without sounding rude. "It translates to 'Pray, savior. Dream, Child of Prayer. Forever and ever, bring us peace.'"

Hikari grunted and faced the front of the church. "Does Kairi subscribe to this, or is it just you?"

"_Subscribe_ to it?" Roxas finally turned to glare at him, ignoring the comment about Kairi. "What, exactly, do you mean by that?"

"Does she follow these superstitions?" he clarified.

"_Superstitions?_" Roxas asked incredulously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hikari said as he waved a hand in front of his face apologetically. "Let me rephrase that: does Kairi believe this primitive bullshit?" he clarified further.

Roxas leapt to his feet, his fury amplified by Hikari's complete nonchalance. Ordinarily, he would have punched the man then and there, but couldn't bring himself to do it in a church. "It is _not_ bullshit!"

Hikari looked askance at him. Slowly, his eyes trailed off of Roxas' and went to the area behind him. "Look, a unicorn."

Roxas said nothing. Hikari raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk coming to his face. "You don't believe me when I tell you there's a unicorn behind you, but you _do_ believe that there's an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being that rules our lives? I'd say you should reconsider what you believe in."

Roxas was about to come back with a snappy retort, but when his mouth was halfway open, he realized that he didn't actually have a snappy retort to that. Hikari's smirk seemed to increase in intensity.

"Sora!" Kairi's voice came from behind him, and Roxas turned around to greet her. As he did, he saw two things. One was that Kairi hadn't been going to confession, she had been seeking a corner so she could use her cell phone, which she was now tucking into her pocket.

The other thing he noticed was that there was a bronze statue of a unicorn a few feet behind him.

Kairi was never happy when Roxas insisted on going to church. She wasn't even sure why she went in with him, as it would have been easier to make her phone call to their boss from outside. Maybe some part of her still didn't want to offend Roxas too much. That part was small, though.

_When you spend enough time with someone,_ Kairi reflected, _you almost always wind up hating them._

_Oh, dammit, but I don't _hate_ Roxas, he just…aggravates me._

_Well, regardless, here's a chance to get away from him for a little while!_

"Sora, you busy today?"

"Not terribly," he replied, a genuine smile coming back to his face as he shifted his attention to her and away from the fuming blonde. "Though I've got some business at the Badminton Theater to take care of later. As do you, if I recall correctly."

"How'd you know?" Roxas asked, raising an eyebrow.

_You just told me, you doorknob,_ Sora thought, but opted to say, "Kairi told me you were going to see 'Phantom' tonight. You'll love it, it's a terrific show." Here he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "You know, I know the manager of the theater very well. If you want, I could arrange to get you really great seats."

Before Roxas could interfere, Kairi had already agreed and thanked Sora for his generosity. Suppressing a scowl, Roxas tried to wrest some control of the conversation. "What brings you to the theater?"

"Like I said, I know the manager, and she invited me over to have dinner at the theater this evening. It's actually kind of cool, being able to hear the show right in the same building, but not actually watching it."

"Come to think of it," Roxas said nonchalantly, as though he were actually warming up to Hikari, instead of fishing for information, "I heard a teensy rumor that the Badminton has its own 'phantom': a man that watches the shows from the rafters. It's not true, is it?"

Sora knew full well that he was being accused, but precisely why, he had no way of knowing. Besides, he had heard those rumors too, and had always wondered about them. "I've heard the same thing, but no one I know has ever really believed them. It's probably just a stage hand or something." He shrugged and smiled, making sure that his eyes were cold when they were set upon Roxas before returning warmly to Kairi. "Well, maybe I'll see you later today."

"You sure you don't want to grab lunch or something?" Kairi asked, trying to conceal the desperation she was feeling. _What's with me? I just met Sora for yesterday!_

"Well…" Sora paused and considered. _I don't have much to do today before meeting Larxene in a few hours…but _he's_ here…oh, what the hell? I want to…I need to be with her again, before…before the show._ "Sure. What are you in the mood for? It's my treat."

Yuffie sighed to herself as she nuzzled Larxene's neck. Ordinarily, she would have complained about her lover's office being way too cold, but, seeing the usual whining coming, Larxene had stripped down and invited the younger girl to do the same. The chances of someone bothering them were practically nonexistent, as the various hands were too busy setting up for tonight's performance to check in on the boss and her paperwork (which lay on a small table in a corner, a sign taped to it which read 'DO THIS ONE OF THESE DAYS').

Larxene usually didn't put off work like this, but she made a special exception because Yuffie was here. She didn't normally like coming to the theater, and she especially didn't like being present for musicals, but today she was eager to talk about Sora, an eagerness that could not be sated, even by pressing her own naked body up against the gorgeous Larxene's. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer, and forced herself to speak, breaking the palpable silence that had built up around the two. "Do you think Sora's in love with that Yamato girl?"

Larxene thought. And thought. And thought a bit more. When Larxene thought, she tended to close her eyes, so someone who didn't know her would assume that she had fallen asleep. Yuffie, though, waited patiently for a response.

"Maybe," it finally came, and Larxene's eyelids slid open slowly. "But he'll be rid of her tonight, so I guess her can't love her too much."

"But what if he _doesn't_ do it tonight?" Yuffie asked. "What if he lets her go, and by the end of the week, she's still alive, and the contract is up, and then he doesn't have to do it at all?"

"You think he'll screw up?" asked Larxene, amused.

"No!" Yuffie nearly cried out. Being Larxene's best weapons customer, doubting his skill was almost impossible for either girl to do without feeling very guilty. "But what if he decides to, you know, have mercy for his true love?"

At this, Larxene had to force herself not to start laughing loudly. As her potential paroxysm passed, she stood Yuffie up and locked eyes with her. "I want you to do three things for me."

"Okay," Yuffie asked, half of her hoping these things would answer her question, the other half hoping it had something to do with them both being nude.

"First, picture Sora when he's doing bad."

An image of Sora jabbing a hypodermic needle into a man's neck popped into her mind. "Done."

"Okay, now picture the nicest, most generous thing you've ever seen Sora do to someone he didn't know very well."

This time, Yuffie had to think a lot harder before coming up with a nice memory. "Okay."

"Fine, now, someone who does that first thing would also have to do something really incredible to show his true, pure heart in order to save someone he loves. So, if he had, I don't know, saved a dying child, or put out what could have been a really bad fire, then, yeah, I'd say he's the sort of guy who would let that Yamato girl go free. What was the nice thing he did, anyway?"

"Once, he petted this dog as we were walking by it."

"And…the first thing?"

"Needle in neck."

"So, let me get this straight," Larxene groaned. "The nicest thing you've seen him do for a stranger is pet a dog. The most horrible thing he's ever done is kill someone. Lots of people, in fact. In a variety of ways. Some of which were very cruel and unusual."

"Wait, wait!" Yuffie protested. "Some of the really cruel ones were ones _you _made up, and you love me, right?"

Seeing that Yuffie had taken this the wrong way (_Or is it the right way?_ she thought), Larxene wrapped her arms around the other girl and hugged tightly. "Oh, honey, of course I do. It's just that I really don't think Sora has it in him to fall in love with someone he's just met. I mean, it just doesn't seem like him."

"Maybe…" Yuffie trailed off and let her eyes fall to the floor. Larxene frowned.

"Hey, cheer up, Yuffie! Now, why don't you take a cab to Cloud's, and Sora and I will be along late tonight, okay?"

"You promise you'll be home?" Yuffie looked to her with wide eyes. Larxene worked late a lot, even on days when she didn't have to deal with the Syndicate (the weapons dealer she worked for) breathing down her neck.

She flashed her lover a winning smile as she slipped her black bra on. "I promise, sweety. Now get dressed, Cloud's probably wondering where you are. And I've got to make sure the chandelier is ready. Sora told me to seat the girl right under it, and I've got to make sure the Syndicate gets the payment for the Jackal."

"See you later, then!" said Yuffie as she bounded out of the room.

"So, what do you do, Sora?"

Roxas cringed inwardly at using Hikari's first name, but was determined to at least try and make casual conversation. The brunette took a sip of coffee before answering, "I'm a writer, but I don't do very much of it. My roommate and I live mostly off investments."

Kairi had gone to the restroom, leaving the two rivals to sit with one another and try to choke back the bile of resentment. It seemed to be working so far. "And what exactly do you and Kairi do again?"

"We're researchers working for Umbrella Pharmaceutical. We got transferred, and we're just staying here for a week or so."

"I see. What exactly do you research?"

Roxas had prepared the story well, and didn't hesitate like Sora was hoping he would. "We're in charge of the molecular biology department. It's interesting work."

"Sounds like it," Sora replied.

The two lapsed into silence, smiling with their faces but glaring with their eyes.

"You'll like 'Phantom,'" Sora said at last, a genuine grin coming over his face. "Are you seeing it too?"

"Of course. I'll be right next to Kairi."

"I see." Sora relaxed a bit. _Two birds with one chandelier._ "It's one hell of a show."


	8. The Second Day: Evening

Notes: I'd like to thank you all for your patience; I know that last chapter was a long time coming. I've been pretty busy with summer work (I know, I should have done it a long time ago) and other stuff. This chapter will be the last for some time, as I'm going away for a few days next Sunday, and I'll be scrambling to complete my Physics and Language/Composition assignments before then. And so, without further ado, the chapter I'm sure many of you have been waiting for…I _do_ hope you enjoy it…

----------------------

**The Second Day: Evening**

Cloud giggled madly to himself as the song ended. He quickly overcame the fit and set the song to play again. Occasionally, the urge would come to him to listen to a specific song, and it would often take hours before he tired of it. Currently, he was laughing over a German industrial song about the importance of brushing one's teeth. Yuffie didn't really see the humor, but it was more than apparent that Cloud did.

After getting into Cloud's apartment, he had obligingly made her a salmon dinner (although at one point he had stuck his head in the oven, said "Sylvia?", then laughed madly at his own joke while not offering any explanation) and then proceeded to ignore her. Oftimes she wondered if the repeating songs and the babbling to himself was a way of relieving stress for Cloud. She had mentioned it to him a while ago, but he had laughed it off and just said he was enjoying the time he had to himself so he would be in a good mood when Sora got home, and cheer the assassin up if necessary.

Larxene hadn't called. Yuffie always hoped that she would call, and she usually did. Since she had a lot to arrange tonight, she probably wouldn't have the time. Still, Yuffie hoped for the best. Best case scenario, of course, would be Sora and Larxene swaggering in around midnight with huge grins on their faces, Sora bursting with pride about how he'd handled this one, and they'd have a loud and raucous celebration, resulting in Larxene or Sora or Cloud or any combination thereof treating her to a terrific night.

_Oh, that would be nice,_ Yuffie sighed. Absentmindedly she picked up a book that had been lying on the couch and flipped open to a random page, part of her mind reading, but the majority of it waiting for the ringing phone.

-------------------------------

"Goes like this," Sora said in a reassuring tone, though Larxene wasn't the sort of woman who really needed reassurance. "The two of them get seated in the fourth row, dead center, right under the chandelier. I go up to the rafters and wait for about a half hour, then I cut the cords, let the chandelier go, they die, I get back to your office, you take care of the police, and we go home."

Larxene nodded in satisfaction. "Basically can't go wrong. All the police will get from the workers are the rumors about the 'man in the rafters.' That blond asshole won't be answering any questions, so we're bulletproof."

Sora grinned happily. "I love it when things go my way."

_Pretty soon, Kai…Yamato will just be another name on a long list. _

_She could never be "just another name."_

_It's time,_ he said to his conscience, _for you to shut the fuck up._

And, for once, it did. He gave Larxene a quick hug. "I'll head up there now. See you in a little while."

"See you," said Larxene as she relaxed in her office chair, peering intently at the paperwork that still hadn't been touched, but not really motivated enough to stand up and do something about it. _Should I call Yuffie?_ she thought.

_She loves it when I call even when I'm busy, but…nah._

She put her hands behind her head and put her feet up on the desk. _I'll be seeing her in a little while, so why bother?_

_-------------------------------_

As Sora climbed the long staircase to the chandelier area, he heard the opening strains of the musical, and tried hard to steel his resolve.

_Had we been friends?_

_Friends don't do what I'm about to do to her._

_Could we have been more?_

This question hadn't really occurred to him before this moment. If he hadn't been assigned to kill Kairi Yamato, would they have had a meaningful relationship? Could they have been intimately involved? Might they even have married?

Arriving at that last question took far longer than the few seconds it took you to read it. For Sora, marriage was not just something he had never considered, it was something he abhorred. Change was the essence of all life. Stagnation led only to withering and death. His profession was one of a catalyst, a harbinger of change.

What might the city be like if he hadn't killed the mayor a few years ago? Would the drug problem lessen with the loss of Riku? Would Ansem ever have been found out and arrested?

_But if I _hadn't_ killed him,_ he tried to justify, _he might have done something even worse to someone else. That look that Selphie had on her face…what if he raped her? Or threatened to? He deserved what he got._

_Does Kairi?_

What _had_ she done to make such a powerful enemy? Would killing her sway the political climate of the nation? Could her death result in senseless loss of life?

_What if I'm acting on behalf of the military or some right-wing lunatic? I don't question my clients, but…does someone who seems so sweet really deserve this?_

_But, if not me, then someone else. It's not like I'm the only killer in the world. This way…an instant of screaming, a fleeting pain, then oblivion. And this way…she'll never see my face. When her life flashes before her, she'll remember me as the good friend, maybe a potential lover, that she met just a few days before. And I won't forget her._

_Someone else might do it…slower. It's better this way. The fear will only last a split second before the darkness overtakes her._

Sora's perception of death was not a pleasant one, nor was it unpleasant. He always found it difficult to explain it to people, especially those hopeless optimists who believe life somehow continues after death. To Sora, death was not a sad thing for someone to experience, nor was it happy. It was true and final eradication of consciousness, nothing more. It was, in essence, going to sleep without ever waking or dreaming. It's not like you would ever feel anything, because feeling was cut off from you, because there was no more you.

Sora's philosophy was that if there was an afterlife, then death would not need to exist. And since it certainly did…well, the rest, he felt, was self-explanatory.

Eventually he reached the top of the staircase and took a look at the area before him. The room was fairly large, and catwalks made up the actual floor. In the center of the room, suspended above the audience, was the massive chandelier, connected via cables to winches all linked to one switch, labeled "Phantom, end of act one."

There were four cables hooked onto the chandelier, and all four were connected to a pulley on the ceiling. The single cable that went from the pulley to the winch ran right above the catwalk. If the switch was pulled and the winch was activated, the chandelier would be lowered along a set path into the stage, where the first act would draw to its conclusion.

If the cable to the winch was cut, however, the chandelier would instantly fall to the floor, taking whomever was beneath it (in this case, Kairi and Roxas) to their grave. Sora smiled to himself, withdrew his knife from his pocket, and sat down near the edge of the catwalk to observe the events onstage.

Kairi hated being in this position. While she knew Roxas was probably right about their lives being in danger while attending the show, she was fully prepared to duck and cover should something threatening emerge. Every muscle was tensed, just waiting for the subtle click of a gun being cocked, or the sound of a scuffle in the wings of the theater.

This was the only way to lure their predator out of the shadows: by making sure they looked like prey. Roxas was sure that "he" would go for an easy solution, and the blond had expressed his suspicions about the chandelier above the seats, the possible use of a gun by one of the actors, and even the possibility of a bomb threat.

Kairi knew he was right, and could only agree for now. At this moment, even with all of their training, they were completely in the dark as to what "he" was planning, whether or not Sora was involved, and even whether or not they would survive the night.

Sighing deeply, Kairi tried hard to focus on her surroundings. Inside, she regretted not really listening to the play. She didn't doubt Sora when he said it was a terrific show.

------------------------------

Sora's favorite number, one of the first big songs of the first act, started up, and his mind gave an involuntary lurch to happiness, as it always did when he heard this song, as eerie as some people found it to be. He refrained from actually singing along, but could not resist mouthing the words as the actors sang in wonderful harmony. The Phantom himself was singing now, which Sora always loved: the man cast as the Phantom was always an incredible singer, and this performance was no exception.

"_Sing once again with me, a strange duet_

_My power over you grows stronger yet_

_And though you turn away to glance behind,_

_The Phantom of the opera is there"_

"Inside your mind," finished a deep voice from nearby. Sora leapt to his feet as fast he could as he whirled to face the newcomer. The man in question was shrouded in shadow, but Sora could make out the smile on his face. "Lovely song, isn't it?"

"What brings you up here?" Sora growled. "Authorized personnel only, buddy."

The man laughed, and Sora was sure that someone would hear the man's baritone. "Very amusing. But I took care of any 'authorized personnel' that would come up here, Mr. Hikari."

Sora unsheathed the knife and held it out towards the man. No one except those he knew were supposed to know that name: to the rest of the world, he was Sora Akuma. "Who are you?"

"Why, you're very informal," the man responded cheerily. "Perhaps we can use first names here."

"Answer me!"

The man walked forward a little, and Sora backed up in shock. It was the tall man with white hair he had seen the other day, only now he could see that he was in fact different from Ansem. He was definitely larger, his hair was longer, and his skin was pale. He bowed low, and Sora saw for a moment what looked like the hilt of a sword at his side. "I am Sephiroth Valentine. I am pleased to meet you at long last, Sora."

An awful idea sprang into Sora's imagination. "Are you CIA?"

The man laughed again, as though he was genuinely amused. "Of course not, my friend!"

"What do you want?" Sora wanted to advance, but thought better of it. He didn't think he'd be able to take an opponent like this on without the element of surprise.

Sephiroth shook his head sadly before focusing again on Sora. "Dear me, do you really want to kill Yamato? If so, go ahead, I won't stop you." With that, he backed up a few paces and raised his hands above his head.

Narrowing his eyes, Sora maneuvered to beneath the cable, keeping his eye on Sephiroth, who didn't move.

"Although," he said, just as Sora was about to cut the cord, "it would be a shame not to hear them."

"The songs?" asked Sora, confused.

"Why, no. The last words."

"Of Kairi?"

"No," Sephiroth shook his head and smiled. "Of the beautiful blond girl downstairs."

Now Sora advanced, closing the distance between him and Sephiroth to a few feet. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh, I can't remember _every_ little detail," he said, beaming. "But it would be a crying shame for her to die alone. You'd best get moving if you want to save her."

Sora shot the other man a look of pure hatred as he slowly sidestepped towards the staircase, keeping his knife trained on the silver-haired murderer. He made no attempts toward Sora, or towards his weapon, and Sora made a mad dash towards the stairs and began to bolt down them. When he realized Sephiroth wasn't following, he finally began to feel the pangs of real panic.

-------------------------------------

Nothing could prepare Sora for what he saw when he burst into the office. The desk and most of the floor was coated with blood, and Larxene herself lay on the ground, shivering fiercely and spewing blood from her mouth with each breath. A cursory examination of her body told Sora that she had been run through, most likely with the sword that Sephiroth had carried.

When she saw Sora, Larxene's eyes started to tear with the effort of speaking. "Sora…a man with…"

"I know, I know," said Sora quietly as he yanked off his shirt and started trying to tie it around Larxene's wound. "Just lie still."

"Don't!" she cried with as much force as she could, and Sora paused. "Sora…please, Sora, I don't want to die…"

"It'll be all right," Sora assured her, placing a calming hand on her forehead, which was pale, like the rest of her, from blood loss. "I'll get you to a hospital, and-"

She tried to shake her head, but wound up crying from the pain it caused her. "Sora, please…I didn't want to die like this."

"You won't. Just let me lift you…"

This time Larxene's protests were ignored, and Sora noticed too late that she had been more than just stabbed. Sephiroth had flayed her back, and lifting her only caused gore to fall out of her as she cried more. Sora gently put her back down and held her hand, biting his tongue to hold back his own tears.

"I was supposed…to marry Yuffie," she said, her words slurring slightly. "I was going to propose to her as soon as she turned eighteen."

"She'll be all right," said Sora pathetically, knowing it wasn't true.

"Take care…of Yuffie, Sora…please," she gasped, before coughing up a torrent of crimson. "Sora, I'm cold."

He couldn't help it: Sora tried to blink back the tears, but they inevitably fell onto Larxene's arm. With one trembling hand, he put his arm around her, embracing her for what was surely the last time. "It'll be okay," he said, not knowing what else could possibly be said.

"I…should have called…tell Yuffie…I'm sorry, and that I love her."

"I will."

Larxene lifted herself with gargantuan effort and planted a kiss on Sora's forehead. Her blood dripped down into his eyes, so that everything Sora saw was seen through a red film. "I'm cold."

"It'll be okay," he repeated, when an idea popped into his head. "Don't worry, Larxene, it's a dream."

"…Dream?"

"Yeah," he said as he forced himself to smile. "Just a dream. You're gonna wake up next to Yuffie screaming, and she'll ask what was wrong, and you'll tell her, and she'll call you a scaredy-cat, and you'll laugh and kiss and go back to sleep. It's all just a bad dream."

She closed her eyes in thought. "The windows must be open. That's why I'm cold."

"That's right!" cried Sora, almost laughing. "We had pizza for dinner, that's why this dream is so weird."

"Ah…it all makes sense now," Larxene nodded, and then went limp. Sora put his head on her chest and sobbed, because he knew that, when his time came, he wouldn't wake up.


	9. The Third Day: Morning

_What…_

_It can't be…_

_Why?_

_What went wrong? Just a few days ago, everything was terrific. I had my work, I was fine with it. Then Kairi, now this…Sephiroth Valentine person._

_This…is it punishment?_

**The Third Day: Morning**

Waking and staring at his ceiling, Sora realized he couldn't make it out properly. Was something wrong with his eyes? Normally, he was able to discern nearly everything around him.

What had happened last night? He couldn't remember. He supposed that Kairi and Roxas were dead, and the obscene amount of money would soon be sent to his door, and he and Cloud would have something kickass in celebration. Like Peking duck. Damn, Peking duck was good.

As Sora straightened up in his bed, his vision still hadn't cleared. Shaking his head, blinking, and rubbing his eyes did nothing to alleviate the blurriness, it only made the problem worse. As he tried to piece together what might have happened to his eyes, he dressed and tried to place what exactly he was feeling.

_Heh. Been a while since I've felt like this._ It was a feeling of emptiness, a hollow sensation that Sora always called "dread," because he couldn't think of a better word. It was similar to the emptiness that one feels in times of hunger, but it was deeper than that. It wasn't the body's hunger, but that of consciousness. It only really happened to him when he was feeling exceptionally depressed about something. But what was there to be sad about?

Knowing that Cloud, Yuffie, and Larxene would be worried if he came out looking unhappy, he tried his hardest to smile, still unsure of what it was that was making his vision blurry.

He walked jauntily out of his room to find Yuffie and Cloud waiting for him on the couch. "Morning!" he said and grinned winningly. They looked at him oddly, and Sora was almost sure that he saw…could that be _anger_ in their eyes? But in an instant it was gone, and they both smiled back, though a bit hesitantly.

"Morning, Sora," Cloud greeted, and glanced at Yuffie.

Yuffie nodded and greeted him too. "So…where's Larxene?"

A look of confusion came across Sora's face. Why wasn't Larxene with Yuffie? Had she gone somewhere earlier? And if she had, why would Sora know? "I don't know. Why would I?"

Though his eyesight was still not perfect, Sora could see the anger in Yuffie's posture as she leapt up, shoved Cloud aside as he tried to hold her back, and lunged at him, gripping his shirt tightly. "Because you were the _last person who fucking saw her _and you _refused_ to tell me where she was last night! So answer me _now_ and tell me _where the fuck she is!_"

_Larxene…is…_

Yuffie anger flickered as she looked in Sora's eyes. She let go of his shirt and backed away slowly, fearfully. "You're crying." She said matter-of-factly, though the horror in her voice was evident. "You're actually crying."

"I am _not_," Sora denied as he raised his hand to his eyes to prove it. As he did so though, he realized Yuffie was right: his face was damp with tears, and he had obviously been crying in his sleep. The tears were what had made his vision blurry.

_"Sora…please, Sora, I don't want to die…"_

_"Sora, please…I didn't want to die like this."_

_"Sora, I'm cold."_

_"Tell Yuffie…I'm sorry…and that I love her."_

_"I'm cold."_

He started crying anew as he remembered. The lovely woman who knew cruelty and love was gone. "Yuffie…" Sora said through his sobs. "She said she was sorry."

Yuffie had backed up into the couch and had sat down, her eyes wide and unblinking with shocked disbelief. "No," she whispered.

"She said to tell you that she loved you."

"It can't be…"

"Yuffie…" Cloud murmured as he moved to comfort her.

"_No!_" she screamed as she punched Cloud in the mouth. He reeled back more in surprise than pain. "You're lying! Larxene just went home because she got too tired! I'll go and meet her there!"

"Yuffie, Larxene's not waiting for you there," Sora said. "She's dead. She was killed by a-"

But Yuffie had already run out the door faster than either man could stop her. They heard her footsteps echo outside in the hallway, but realized there was no point in trying to stop her.

"Who did it?" Cloud asked hoarsely after a minute of silence.

"A man with-"

"Wait," Cloud stopped him with a raised hand, and Sora obligingly fell silent. "Don't tell me. Because if you do, I'll search the city for everyone that resembles this bastard, and kill them all."

Sora knew he was being serious, and nodded.

Cloud sighed and peered at nothing. "I just can't believe she's gone."

"I know," Sora agreed. "My alibi is fine. I stepped out from dinner and came back to find her dying. People saw me go into her office earlier in the day, and since I didn't have a sword on me then, they won't think I did it."

Cloud nodded at first, then turned his head towards Sora slowly. "Maybe 'they' won't believe it…but what if you did?"

"What?"

"Was she getting too nosy for her own good?" Cloud drew himself up to his full height and glared maniacally at Sora. "Did she know too much? Does Yuffie? Do _I_, Mr. Hika-"

Sora had no hesitation about smacking Cloud across his face. "Don't be an idiot. I loved Larxene just like I love Yuffie, and like I love you. And didn't you hear me? I said she was killed with a sword. Have you _ever_ seen me use a sword?"

Cloud was quiet for a few seconds, feeling the stinging pain on his face start to dissipate. "No," he replied. "I'm sorry. It's just…it doesn't seem real."

"I know," Sora said and directed his gaze at the floor. "Her will said she didn't want a funeral. Her belongings go to Yuffie, but Yuffie's a minor, so I guess she has to go back to her family. The ashes are split between the three of us."

Cloud nodded. "Yuffie's family might not want her back."

"I don't see what else she can do. Larxene's family certainly wants nothing to do with her. Maybe one of us should be her guardian."

"Maybe, yeah."

Silence.

"You…said this man used a sword?"

"Yeah. It was really long, looked like around six feet."

Cloud thought hard. "A sword…I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

Cloud sat down on the couch where he had been sitting earlier. "Sora, I know you told me about Ansem, but did I ever tell you what set me on this path?"

"No," Sora said, sitting down as well. _Maybe this will distract me from Larxene_.

"I was married once." Seeing Sora's surprise, he laughed. "And that's not the real shocker of this story. But yeah, I had a wife. We'd only been married for around a year when we were walking home from a restaurant, and saw a man brutally murder another man with a sword. We were horrified, but we kept quiet. The man with the sword heard us, though, and he killed Aeris…killed my wife.

"I'll always remember," he continued, shuddering, "the happy expression he had as he did it. At least it was quick, at least there was that. One cut from that sword, and she was dead. He looked at me then, just looked at me, with this smug look on his face. When I asked why he didn't kill me too, he just shrugged and walked away. After the police investigation was over, it really hit me that I was alone. I tried to kill myself, but it didn't work."

Cloud tapped the side of his head and smiled grimly. "You ever wonder why I act strange sometimes? Why I talk to myself and play songs for hours? It was the brain damage caused by the bullet that didn't kill me. It's about a one in a million chance, but it happens."

"Cloud…I'm sorry," said Sora, not knowing what else he could say. Cloud shrugged.

"It's okay, it happened a long time ago. I've accepted it. After that brush with the death, I started immersing myself in it. You know I've worked for a few different organizations before I met you, but it's only when I met up with you that I really felt like I was getting anywhere. Working with the police was useless, but if I had you, an assassin, with me, maybe I stood a chance of getting revenge."

"You think this might be the same man?"

"Could be. How many people know how to use swords properly anymore?" Cloud smirked. "Rumors I heard said that he was an assassin, and damn good one. He did a hell of a job in Japan a few years ago."

"What was it?"

"Remember the Prime Minister?"

"Holy fuck," Sora said in admiration. He was unaware that the old Prime Minister of Japan had even been assassinated: he, like most of the world, had assumed it was an accident. An incredibly gory and tragic accident, but an accident nonetheless.

"Yeah. His clients in Japan called him _haryuu no hanakata._"

Sora thought for a moment. "Angel with wings on one side?"

"Oh, maybe, but the translation I heard was 'the one-winged angel.'"

Both men sat in contemplation awhile. Finally Cloud spoke again. "So what are you going to do about Yamato?"

"Kill her," came the simple answer. "I'll spend today with her, I guess, and then tomorrow I'll do it."

"It's still not too late if you don't want to do it, you know."

"I know. But…this one last day. That's all I need. I need to…make peace with myself, and with her. Then it'll be over, and we can concentrate on finding Sephiroth, if he's still around by then."

"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked. "That's his name?"

"Sephiroth Valentine. That's what he said, at least."

"I'll see if I can find any info on him. Anyway, if you're planning on meeting Yamato, you should get going."

"Yeah. I'll see you later. If Yuffie comes back, tell her to stay here, and that I'm sorry."

"Of course. You don't need to tell me, I know you care about her as much as I do."

Sora walked out the door to go visit Kairi one last time.

"Thanks, Cloud."

* * *

Notes: I apologize for the long wait. Anyway, the story has once again picked up, and some very important happenings are afoot. The next chapter will most likely just be interaction between Kairi and Sora. And possibly Roxas whining.

Anyway, I'm glad that my last chapter got such strong reactions, and I'm very happy that many people seem to follow this story closely, and even go so far as to analyze parts of it. I love doing that to stories, or movies, or games, that I'm especially fond of. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, short as it was. Until next time, my friends!


	10. The Third Day: Afternoon

Notes: This chapter has been a while in the making. Actually, what inspired me to finish it was a song, one featured in this chapter, by the fabulous musician Richard Shindell. The song is "By Now," and it's on his first album, called "Sparrow's Point." Now, I don't like country or folk music generally, but this man is unbelievable. He has the cobra-2k Seal of Approval. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fascinating installment.

* * *

**The Third Day: Afternoon**

Roxas could taste the metallic tang of his blood almost before he actually felt the sharp pain that came with biting his tongue. He mentally swore and spat out the bread that was in his mouth. Eating anything would be pointless now, and he took a quick swig of ice water to try and numb his tongue. It helped a little, but the blood had seeped from his mouth into the water, turning it a sickening pinkish color and ensuring that it would taste faintly of blood until the glass was washed.

"Did you hear me?" came Kairi's voice. "I said Sora called, and I invited him over. That woman who was killed was a friend of his, and he's really upset about it, so could you please try to be civil?"

Roxas didn't say a word (it would hurt), but instead gulped more icy water and waited for Kairi to come out of the bathroom. A wide range of reactions occurred at once, and he was actually glad that he was bleeding, because it made him think twice before speaking.

_How _dare_ she say that to me?_

_I remember a time when I'd actually care about a friend of hers being upset…_

_Why doesn't she _see_ that it's a ruse?_

"Are you listening?" Kairi said, irritated, as she opened the door to see Roxas there. She jumped a little in surprise, but recovered fast. "I said that-"

"I know," Roxas interrupted. "And I think you're being an idiot."

This took Kairi a while to regain her senses from. _Roxas just…he's never…_

"Think, dammit!" he shouted, and grabbed her shoulders to shake them roughly. "Either you do it tonight, or I will."

Kairi looked soullessly at the floor as she replied. "Don't worry. I'll do it."

Roxas let go of her and breathed a sigh of relief. _Finally, she gets it._ "Okay. Good. I'll be next door. So if anything goes wrong, just give me a sign."

"Yeah."

_God willing, we'll be out here in a few days._

"I'm so sorry, Sora."

Roxas twitched. She was_ touching_ him. Stroking his arm with her left hand while her right hand was on his back. _Comforting him_, _my ass. As if he needs comfort._

"Thanks," Hikari responded deadpan. His hands quivered as he reached for the tea Kairi had made for the two of them. Roxas had rejected the tea, opting instead to finish off his blood-water. "It's just so hard to believe."

_Oh, please. It's easy to believe Katsuwa's dead. Easy to believe all the others are dead._

"One minute she was fine, I got up to go to the restroom, and when I came back, she was…" he trailed off into silence, and Roxas had to admit that his adversary was a fine actor. _I wonder…maybe he really didn't kill her?_

_What if he didn't have anything to do with the incident? What if we've been pursuing the wrong man?_

"Roxas."

Roxas blinked once or twice and looked anew at Hikari. "Hm?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to you alone."

Kairi was just as shocked as he was, but she showed it more. She said nothing but obligingly left the room, though both men could see that she was tenser than a violin string.

"What is it?" Roxas tried hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but he could tell that some of it still showed through. "Something on your mind?"

Hikari glared at him. "No, not a thing," he replied sarcastically, but after that he seemed sincere. "It's just that I apologize for getting between you and Kairi." He stretched out his hand in a peace offering. _Jackass_, he thought.

Roxas shook it automatically. "No, no, I'm sorry for being such a jerk about it. If you two want to become involved, that's your business." _Jackass_, he thought.

"Thanks, Kairi," Hikari called out, and she seemed relieved to not be greeted with a bloody mess when she reentered the room.

"Well, I have some things to do. I'll see you later, Kairi," Roxas said as he started for the door. And now…he hated to do it, but he supposed he would have to. "And Sora?" Hikari looked at him in shock, as he wasn't expecting to be addressed directly any more than necessary. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Oh…thanks, Roxas."

* * *

"It's not worth it," Cloud muttered to himself. No matter how much money they were being offered, nothing was worth losing Larxene. "You can't buy a human…life…" Cloud pondered just what the hell he'd just said. And how ridiculous it was, coming from him.

Had he and Larxene been friends? Truth be told, their relationship was an enigma, especially to him. Cloud felt awful about losing her, like when he'd lost…well, that was in the past. The point was that he felt like another piece of him had died.

And with it died the silence. For the first time in years, he heard them.

"You hadn't forgotten me, had you?"

Cloud shook his head, straining his eyes shut to hold back the tears of despair and fear that threatened his eyes. The voices had always been there, but a few days ago, they'd been jovial and laughing, giving him cause to giggle and make jokes no one but he and they understood. Now they were back, and it appeared that they were less than pleased.

"It's your fault, Strife. You could have saved her, just like before."

"You could've gone with Sora, could have helped him do whatever he was doing."

"What about Yuffie, Strife? She hasn't accepted it."

"It's your fault. She'll blame you, and Sora blames you too."

"Please," he pleaded, even though he knew from experience that it would do nothing. "Leave me alone."

They laughed cruelly at him. That's when Cloud realized something. He stood up and spun around in a display of extreme bravado. "You're laughing now, but just you wait, Sephiroth, or whatever your name is! Sora will kill you, because he's the best there is! Then you'll _have_ to leave me alone!"

"Oh, _please_," the voices replied in a condescending tone. "Stop deluding yourself, Strife. I'll kill Sora, and it'll be your fault. It'll be your fault because you want me to kill him."

"That's a lie!" he screamed.

"You're the liar! You wanted Aeris out of the picture so you'd be free to flirt with that stacked waitress!"

"_No!_"

"You know it's true. You wanted her to die, and so I granted your wish. And you're getting bored, being around Larxene, Yuffie, and Sora all the time. You want them to die, and so I kill them, Strife. I may be the one doing it, but all the blood's on your hands."

* * *

"I think my business here in the city will be over pretty soon."

Those words would have broken Sora's heart, if he hadn't locked away that part of him for a while. "You'll be leaving soon, then?"

"I think so."

The two lapsed into silence, sitting side by side and staring at the table in front of them, each two timid to look at one another's face, each dreading what was to come. It was Sora who finally broke the silence. "I want to let you know…"

"Yes?"

"…that even if it has just been a few days, that…you're a very special person to me." _Why is this so hard? I've lied like this before…but I guess the truth is much tougher to bring out. _"I feel…I really don't know how to put it. But since you're leaving me soon, I thought I should tell you…"

Kairi stopped his speech with a delicate finger brought to his lips. She leaned close to him and whispered in his ear, "I know. I understand."

He looked over to her and tried to comprehend what he saw in her eyes. The radiant blue sparkle, which normally shone with happiness, now conveyed an expression of hollow sadness, the sort of feeling that Sora assume was in his own blue eyes now. He was too focused on her eyes, and wasn't exactly ready for her when she leaned in and brought her lips to his.

He'd kissed women before, this was nothing new. But even as he thought that, he could tell it was wrong. This kiss wasn't born from lust, and that sensation made it precious. He tried to make it last as long as possible before pulling back to see her face.

Kairi had flushed to within a few shades of her hair, and seemed disappointed that he had stopped. "I'm sorry if that was inappropriate…"

He shook his head, and Kairi smiled at the way his hair fluttered about haphazardly as his head swung from side to side. "No, that's not it. Just that I wasn't ready…and this couch isn't quite big enough for both of us."

She kissed him again, this time on the nape of his neck, her small tongue brushing against his flesh as she raised her head to whisper in his ear, "My bed's just the right size."

* * *

Yuffie slept on her floor.

How long had she been there? She had no idea.

She was dreaming of a story that Larxene had told her about a time when Sora had taken Larxene out in his car to drive her to an airport. Well, technically, she needed to go to the airport to take a flight, and Sora needed to go there to meet a target. It had been late at night, and they had taken a road through the woods. Along the way, they had seen a girl who looked a little older than Yuffie, carrying a suitcase and looking very tired.

At her insistence, Sora stopped and let the young woman sit in the back seat. It turned out she was going to the same airport that Larxene was. To keep himself awake, Sora hummed to himself. It eventually lulled both Larxene and the girl to sleep.

A few hours later, Sora had jostled Larxene awake, and she didn't see the girl anywhere. He said that she had gotten off at her stop a while ago.

"Where was she headed, anyway?"

"Here, actually. I assumed she'd spend the night at a friend's, then come here in the morning."

"Did you…_see_ her get to a friend's house?"

"Nope," Sora confessed. "I let her off on the highway."

"What? Don't you think that was a bit stupid?"

He shrugged. "She left me no choice."

"Well, you do you think she'll get here alright?"

"Hell, she doesn't have a chance if she hasn't got here by now."

And he wouldn't say anything more on the subject. Larxene chose not to press him, since she did have a flight to catch. She thanked him and made him promise to tell Yuffie she loved her in her stead. He agreed and wished her a safe trip.

As she walked away, though, she could hear that Sora was singing to the tune he'd been humming before. She remembered the words clearly.

_Window open wide_

_Blowing through the north wood_

_No radar gun in sight_

_Moon shines on the asphalt_

_Two eyes in the dark_

_Young doe in the high beams_

_She don't stand a chance_

_If she ain't already got there by now_

* * *

The sun was setting.

Sora could see it through Kairi's window. They'd dozed off after making love, but Sora could see that Kairi had woken up before him. He turned towards her to see her sitting on her bed in a green bathrobe. He held her gently and said, "I love you, Kairi."

She whispered back, "I love you, Sora." But her voice was broken.

_Is she…crying?_

"That's why…" she continued. "I'm sorry."

Sora's eyes widened in the darkness as he heard the click of the hammer, and felt the chill of cold steel pressed up against his chest.

* * *

Heh heh heh...yep. That's right, think, all of you! You will never discover my plan!...

Ahem. Yes, well. I decided that it would be best _not_ to show the sex scene between Kairi and Sora, even though it is within my ability to do so. I feel it would be better if you, the reader, filled it in. Imagine a passionate and pure lovemaking scene. Since everyone has a different version of that, you get to make your own, and I don't have to worry about something thrilling and erotic for me being dull for someone else. Yes, it is a bit lazy. But it's also rather effective.


	11. The Third Day: Evening

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I _do_ own Jack and the Syndicate. And if you recognize the idea of a criminal organization called the Syndicate with a torturer named Jack...then you know more about me than you should, and you've been visiting websites that most civilized societies would call "eerie at best."

* * *

**The Third Day: Evening**

"Sora Hikari, you are charged with the murder of Agent Kenjiro Matsuo," Kairi recited, trying hard to keep her grief from her voice as she held the gun to her new lover's body. "Roxas and I were sent to kill you."

"Kairi, wait!" Sora wasn't used to having a weapon being pointed at him while he was defenseless. "I don't know what you're talking about! I've never heard of anyone named Matsuo!"

"A tip-off was received," she continued, "that the man known as Sora Hikari, alias Sora Akuma, was the contract killer hired to assassinate Agent Matsuo. If you reveal the name and location of your client, then you may be granted leniency."

The dying sunlight came into this scene and glinted on the barrel of Kairi's service pistol. Sora's hands were gripping the blue sheets so hard his knuckles were white and bloodless. "Kairi, _please believe me_, I don't know anyone by that name, and I've never targeted anyone in the CIA before-" he stopped and looked away, ashamed.

Her eyes met his now, the blue boring into his head. "Before…?"

"Before you," he whispered. Seeing her face fall, he tried to explain, "Please forgive me. I didn't lie to you, I _do_ love you."

"If you loved me," she growled, "why would you want to kill me?"

Now he glared at her, then lowered his gaze pointedly to the weapon in her hand. "This is different," she was quick to remark, but then she thought about it. _I'm really just doing what the higher-ups tell me to do, and getting paid…we're not too different after all. _"Why?"

"A client offered us an incredible sum, over a million," he said. "No idea who they were, or why they wanted you dead. I've answered something, now who is this Matsuo?"

She stared at him a long time. "Do you have any weapons on you?"

"A pistol in my jacket."

"Fine."

She stood up and, keeping the gun trained on him, urged him towards his clothes. Sora slowly removed his weapon and tossed it across the room. Kairi nodded and motioned for him to get dressed as she began to explain.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kairi saw Roxas kiss the cross necklace he was wearing and mouth a prayer. For once, she almost felt like joining him.

"I know," the detective said upon seeing their reactions. "If you think this is bad, though, wait till you see the surveillance videos."

"I'm not sure I can handle that," Roxas said, his dilated pupils finding themselves unable to wander from the man before them.

Neither of them had known Kenjiro Matsuo at all, and it was probably for that reason that they were assigned to investigate his death. Their boss had told them that he had died of a suicide, and Kairi mentioned this to the detective that stood with them.

"Oh, he _died_ of suicide," he assured her. "You can check his wrists: he definitely slashed them."

She felt like killing her boss as she shuddered. "People may cut their wrists, they _don't_ crucify themselves."

Matsuo had been pinned to his wall, two nails stuck through his hands and one in each of his ears. His scalp had been taken off, and his skull glistened with pink under the bright investigation lights. His organs were in a pile on the floor, as he had in fact been cut horizontally in half. Matsuo's legs and nether regions were nowhere to be seen.

"He must have been cut up before he was hung up," Kairi concluded, sickened at her choice of words. "His hands and ears couldn't support the weight of his body."

"Brilliant, Holmes," Roxas muttered, flashing her a quick smile as he did. She didn't fall for it, though. He was still quite unnerved, as he had every right to be. "Let's watch that tape."

The tape was just as puzzling as the body itself. It showed the living Matsuo panicking for a few seconds, screaming his head off at something off-screen. So far as Roxas and Kairi could tell, he was shouting the words "No! No! Misa!" He seemed frightened enough to have a heart attack, but before that happened, he feel to his knees and cut his wrists with a razor blade. After he stopped twitching, there was a gunshot, and the tape ended.

"Misa Matsuo," Roxas said after leafing through a file on Matsuo. "Loving wife. Been dead for a year now."

"Dead?"

"As a doornail."

"If she were dead, why would he be screaming at her all of a sudden? Did he have any mental illness?"

"I don't think so."

"Any drug use?"

"C'mon, you really think he'd get past those toc screens?"

Kairi banged her head against the television screen and sighed. "Guess we should check the rest of the house."

Roxas nodded and headed to the dining room. There was an uncorked bottle of wine there, as well as a broken glass on the floor. _How do the normal CSI guys not get these things?_ he thought as he bent to examine the shards.

Ordinarily, when on an investigation, he tried to stay as close as he could to Kairi. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to ask her to dinner, even though he was pretty sure she would go if he asked. He sniffed the wine and recoiled from its pungent odor. He swore and moved to cork the bottle, but stopped and tried to focus.

It was the strong smell of wine, yes, but there was something else. Something he'd smelled before, the scent of something very bitter. Then it hit him.

"Absinthe," he said and smiled to himself. "That makes some sense."

"Absinthe?" came Kairi's voice. He turned to face her and was about to report what he'd found, but she spoke first. "Absinthe in his wine, and a body in his backyard. What's next?"

"A _what?_"

"You heard me." He followed her out into the backyard and saw nothing. She led him into a patch of brush and he saw the decaying, but unmarred body of a young woman.

"Your best theory," Sora asked, "was that an assassin dug up his wife's body, spiked his wine with absinthe, used his wife to make the man commit suicide out of fear, cut him in half, and nailed him to a wall?"

"Yes," Kairi confirmed.

"How much are you paid?"

"Shut up."

While she still had her gun loaded and pointed at Sora, she was starting to feel a bit ridiculous for suspecting him. He may be a hired killer, but the idea that he would do something so elaborately cruel was laughable.

"Well, for what it's worth, it wasn't me," Sora assured her. "And something tells me that if we find my client, then we'll find your killer." _Should I tell her about Sephiroth? No, I can't. It'll just be the old "one-armed man did it" trick._

"Give me one good reason to believe you."

They looked hard at each other and tried to figure out all possible angles. Both were difficult opponents, and Sora knew that he was at an incredible disadvantage here.

"I don't have one," Sora confessed. "So what can I do to make you trust me?"

Kairi thought. _What can I do? Should I do anything? Technically, if he can help us find the killer, he'd be pardoned…but that's assuming he really isn't guilty. _

_Why is it,_ thought Sora, _that I see no way out of this?_

Sora opened the door quickly and tossed his jacket at Cloud. "Get up. We've got work to do."

Cloud awoke from his restless sleep and peered sleepily at Sora. "What? Look, I can deal with the police, so don't-"

"Change of plans," Sora said, picking up the phone. "I'm not killing Kairi. We're calling the Syndicate."

"We're _what?!_" Cloud jumped up from the couch and practically ran over to Sora. "We can't just call them up and ask for help!"

"Told you, no killing Kairi," Sora drummed his fingers on his chest as the phone rang. "We're going to ask them who hired us."

Cloud gaped at him but found he couldn't say anything at first. He thought that if he gazed at Sora's face long enough, a smile would force its way into his friend's lips, and he'd reveal that the number he'd dialed was actually a pizza place. Seeing that this result was not forthcoming, Cloud forced himself to accept it. "And the Syndicate is just going to roll over and help us for free, are they?"

"Not for free, you know how they operate. _Bonjour_!" Sora said cheerily into the phone. He waited for a moment, and then there was a voice on the other end of the line.

"Who are the philosophers?" it asked.

"Lo li lu le la," Sora answered. There was another pause while the call was transferred again.

"Hiya, Hikari."

"Jack, good to talk to you. I need your help."

"Figured. Oh, I'm really sorry to hear about Larxene. But now that that's out of the way, what do you need?"

Sora was a bit annoyed at how Jack brushed off his own coworker's murder, but then remembered that Jack was the Syndicate's torturer, and thus, his attitude towards death was even more extreme than Sora's. "Listen, I need you to find out who it was that hired me to kill Kairi Yamato, the-"

"CIA woman, yes. We know _all_ about that thanks to Larxene. The target's not dead yet."

Not bothering to ask how Jack knew this, Sora just agreed.

"Yes, yes, as it turns out," Jack continued, "the call from your client came from a reputable gentleman's club on the other side of the city, one by the name of 'Grain of Sand.' It was a private line, so it must have been someone in charge of the club."

"Thanks, Jack, you've been very helpful."

He moved to hang up, but stopped when he heard Jack's voice again. "Hikari?"

"Yeah, Jack?"

"Larxene, she was…a good friend. And, ah, Syndicate policy is to provide for any remaining loved ones, so if, I mean, if Kisaragi needs a place to stay or a job, or something…" he trailed off, and Sora could tell that Jack wasn't used to making offers like this.

"Thanks, Jack, but Cloud and I have already decided to take care of Yuffie. If she does wind up in need of a job, I'll be happy to recommend the Syndicate."

"Yeah. Okay. Good luck, Sora. Don't call here again. You only got let through because we figured it was an emergency, what with Larxene dying and all. If you really need to talk to us, go through the proper channels next time, okay?"

"Sure thing, Jack." Without giving a farewell, Sora hung up on the Syndicate worker before turning to Cloud. "Our client is someone involved with the Grain of Sand. I've never been there, but I've passed by a few times, You?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, and nodded. "I know one of the managers, but I haven't spoken to old Rose in a while. He might not even remember me."

"Good enough." Sora shrugged and yawned. "I really hope this works."

"He got away."

It wasn't a question, with an inflection at the end, but a dull statement, that came out of Roxas' mouth. Kairi resisted the urge to flinch. "He got out before I had the chance to arrest him."

"You _let_ him get away. I'm guessing he left while you were sleeping, or else in the afterglow." Roxas was royally furious, and it was starting to show. For once, Kairi actually agreed with him. She _had_ just let a known contract killer escape on a dubious basis.

"Listen, we'll go to his place early tomorrow and arrest him, it's not like we need a warrant, since we don't need to search."

"Yeah."

With that, Roxas left her, but not before she distinctly caught his left eye twitching in fury.


	12. The Fourth Day: Morning

Author's Notes: Wow, quite a few reviews came with that last chapter. At any rate, glad you're all still here. And in case anyone was wondering, I neglected to mention up until now that Vaed was the inner of my little contest from chapter six. The Jackal is indeed the gun favored by Alucard of "Hellsing," and Vaed made Kenjiro Matsuo. Other people got the right answer, but he or she got it first. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this current chapter. By the way, once the story is a bit closer to being finished, I'm thinking of putting up what might be considered a prequel. If anyone is interested, I'll see to it that it gets posted. Enjoy!

* * *

**The Fourth Day: Morning**

Cloud yawned and ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, you'd think _someone_ would want to shut this place down. It's not even sunup and that bass line could kill small animals."

Sora had never liked nightclubs. He hated consistently loud noises. He very much preferred silence, pierced, if necessary, by staccato notes that left everyone who didn't expect them reeling. Standing across the street from Grain of Sand was all that really needed to happen to convince him that getting their message across inside would be difficult, unless of course someone just so happened to shoot out a speaker or two.

The bouncer was glaring at them, even as he glared at the rather long line of people trying to get in. He was one of those rare fellows whose default look is an irritated glare, and he had obviously been working very hard to perfect the visage. His slight fairly slight frame was uncharacteristic of a man in his position, but the shiny head and tinted glasses were par for the course.

"I get the feeling we'll need some kind of permission from this Rose guy if we feel like getting in sometime today," Sora said, trying not to let his lack of sleep slur his words. His ordinarily confident voice was now slightly gravelly. The first he would do when he got home, he swore, was have a nice freezing drink.

Cloud shrugged and pulled a pager out of his pocket. He smiled and gestured towards the bouncer with it. The bouncer raised an eyebrow, but kept up the glare. It was a glare for the ages; the man was truly an expert in his craft. Cloud quickly put in a number and smiled.

The bouncer seemed to be having his tiny little mind blown as he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his own pager. As soon as he had glanced at the name of the caller, his façade vanished, and now he was no longer glaring through his glasses but taking them off and squinting in a very "Is that who I think it is?" manner. He grinned as he put his glasses back on and beckoned to them.

"Problem solved," said Cloud as he triumphantly slipped the pager back into his pockets and started across the street, Sora in tow. "Been a while, Rude."

"Strife," the man said as he shook Cloud's hand. "Here to see Reno?"

"Naturally," Cloud replied. Sora could tell that the two men, however well they knew each other, were not exactly prone to long debates on interpretations of _The Divine Comedy_. Rude stepped aside and let them in.

Sora went in first. He instantly regretted it. The music was loud enough to pierce flesh at twenty yards, and the speakers were only five feet away. He couldn't even decipher notes, only noise. He might have popped if Cloud hadn't tapped him on the shoulder and nodded over to a door.

As Sora walked towards the door, which he could only assume was the manager's office, he tried to think of what exactly he was doing. His chances of proving his innocence were slim, and his chances of being pardoned by the CIA were laughable. No matter how much Kairi loved him (and, he reminded himself, even that might be a ruse), there might not be any bloodless way out his current situation.

The door had been festooned with a bronze knocker shaped like a rose. Sora lifted it and bashed it against the door four times, wondering just what the door must be made of in order to block out the sound. After a couple of seconds, the door opened a pinch and they were ushered in.

"Cloud!" said a red-haired man who had opened the door. "Never thought we'd see you again. And who's this?"

Cloud hugged the man briefly. "Good to see you, Reno. This is Sora Hikari, my partner. We need some information."

"Naturally," said Reno. He gestured for them to sit in one of the many beanbag chairs in his "office." Sora had to admit that, while comfortable, he felt more than a little idiotic sitting in a blue beanbag chair. The entire room was off in some way, from the way the little glasses of tequila sat so perfectly on the shag carpet (as opposed to tipping over like they should), the shimmer that the red lights made when they shone on the leather worn by the woman in the room, who was sitting in the only real chair, the way Reno sat catlike on the floor at the woman's feet. The woman toyed with Reno's hair a little as she addressed Sora and Cloud.

"I'm Elena, Mr. Hikari. It's been far too long, Cloud. What can we help you with?"

"The Syndicate told us that someone here recently filed an order for services rendered, with a price of over a million dollars. The call was made from this club, by someone with access to the private lines," Sora explained. "We need to know who made that call and why."

He looked to Reno to respond, and was a bit surprised when Elena replied. "I know of no such thing. We are hardly in the position of hiring an assassin for one million dollars." She looked down at Reno. "It is rude not to offer our guests a drink."

"Yes, of course," Reno said, abashed as he hurried over to a small bar and fussed with some glasses and a bottle. "Sorry, Mr. Hikari. Sorry, Cloud. Sorry, Elena."

Cloud ignored him and focused on Elena. "We'd appreciate it if some inquiries were made as to the source of the call. We're certainly not accusing you, but is it possible that someone in the staff did it?"

Rude hurried back with drinks for Sora and Cloud, and then returned to his place at Elena's feet. The woman seemed a bit annoyed by Cloud's question and patted Reno lightly on the head. "Reno, answer the question."

Reno opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. He turned to Elena and seemed to be silently pleading with her about something. Seeing his face, she nodded and smiled sweetly, and Reno took a sip of tequila before turning his attention to Cloud.

_Her grip on him is _that_ tight?_ Sora thought. _Impressive._

"Elena will look into it, but she really doesn't think anyone who works here has a million to spare."

_Even has him speak for her._

"That is all we ask, and we thank you for your cooperation," Sora said. He and Cloud stood and made for the door, which Reno leapt to his feet to hold open for them.

"Cute couple," Sora remarked after he and Cloud were outside. "Kind of like Punch and Judy, but with the genders reversed."

"Yeah, but more importantly, now we know that the call definitely came from there."

Sora eyed his partner, trying to discern how he had arrived at that conclusion. "I assume it's because he had to check with his mistress before talking to us?"

Cloud looked thoughtful for a moment, his eyes cast towards the sky. "Well, yes. That and the fact that Tseng over there obviously wants to tell us something." He nodded to a man in a dark suit in front of them. Hearing his name, the man approached them with a wave.

"Evening, Cloud, Mr. Hikari. Reno is lying, as you surmise. His brother, Axel, is the one who placed the extraordinary order for Ms. Yamato's death. He does not have access to the manner of wealth required to pay you. I do not know why he did this, but it is my belief that someone forced him to do. Reno lied in order to protect his brother."

Cloud shook Tseng's hand and smiled. "Why, thank you, Tseng, you've been most helpful. Might I ask how you came across this information?"

Tseng shrugged. Sora locked eyes with him and fixed him with a baleful stare. "You're with the Syndicate."

For once, Cloud felt very small. Physically, he towered over both Sora and Tseng, but as they glared at one another, he felt fear in the presence of such strong wills. They had met mere seconds ago, and both were convinced of their supremacy.

Finally, Tseng smiled, and shrugged again, this time more casually. "Well said. And for such a deduction, I am happy to present you with _one_ piece of information. Ask me anything."

Sora and Cloud were both startled by this. A Syndicate member saying he would give you information was similar to a billionaire saying he'd give you a whopping raise. Giving away knowledge for free was tantamount to treason, and the punishment was death. Tseng's emphasis on "one" meant that Sora had to choose carefully. After some thinking, he found the perfect choice. "Tell me about Kenjiro Matsuo."

Cloud was confused by the unfamiliar name, and even more so by Tseng's stunned silence. He'd known Tseng for years, and it took a lot to knock his clam demeanor away. He obviously hadn't expected this to come up, whatever it was.

"Very well," Tseng said slowly, his eyes twitching. Clearly, giving away _this_ information was very dangerous, and wasn't what he had been hoping to do. He was, however, honor-bound to comply. "The name 'Kenjiro Matsuo' means 'fate's prey,'" he paused, and looked around. There was no one else nearby, but his anxiety was palpable. "And there was never a price on his head."

Sora's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me!" Tseng whispered furiously. "The man that killed him wasn't hired to do it."

"And who was that man?" Cloud asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"_One_ piece of information, that's it," Tseng hissed. He spit at Sora's feet. "Little _pigsucker_. I should kill you for this."

No sooner was his final word out of his mouth then Sora had reached into his coat, brought out his pistol, rushed forward and pressed it close to Tseng's chest. "One piece of information was the deal, yes. But remember, _boy_, that not even the Nightshade Syndicate can protect you from Sora Hikari."

"You're a lot like the Syndicate, then," Tseng said, throwing caution to the winds, and then sniping at it. "You can't protect people from assassins either."

At this, Cloud kept perfectly still, but silently he was rooting for Sora to quickly cut Tseng open.

"How can you even think of that?" a voice said to him. "He was your friend once!"

"He's blaming you for what happened to Larxene, Cloud, just like Sora and Yuffie do," Sephiroth's said mockingly. He managed to shut both voices out and silently watched the exchange.

With his off-hand, Sora took out his knife from his coat and quickly drew it across Tseng's left ear, leaving a thin trail of blood where it passed. The man flinched, but grew still, even mindful of the gun still at point-blank range. "I would not advise you to continue in this vein, or I may have to relieve you of a few."

"Awful pun, Mr. Hikari," Tseng said, his proud voice trembling with fear. "But I did indeed speak out of turn. You have my sincerest apologies. If you'll let me be on my way, I have accounting to do at the Grain of Sand."

A few tense seconds passed, and then Sora drew his knife and gun back into the folds of his light coat. Tseng's confidence returned with the lifting of his impending death, and he smiled widely at his two companions. "Well, then, I bid both of you gentlemen a good day. Axel will be here in the evening. I shall make it a priority that I am rather far away."

"A pleasure speaking with you," Sora said as he and Cloud brushed past him.


End file.
